Faith You Can See – Part 1
James 2:14-26 (14-18)
November 9, 2014

As you know we are working through the book of James
And we are listening as he reveals what a real Christian looks like.

• We know that they count trials as joy
• We know that they persevere through temptation
• We know that they hear the word of God and do it
• We know that their religion is not self-serving
• And we know that they don’t show favoritism

Tonight we continue working our way through James’ list
And I think it is obvious that James ups the stakes a little here.

You can feel his passion grow as we dive into the middle of this second chapter.

Tonight James specifically targets your faith.
He wants to know if it is real or not.

And it all stems on this one belief of James:
FAITH IS NOT INVISIBLE

I don’t know where the idea came from
That all spiritual attributes were invisible.
People just sort of want to spiritualize everything and make it all personal and private.

But that just isn’t Biblical.
The Christian life is a life that is to be put on display.

No verse sums that up better than:
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”

We are lights shining in darkness.
You never were meant to take your light and hide it under a basket.

Your faith is not meant to be invisible.

And that is precisely what James is talking about here
Throughout the end of chapter 2.

Look down at verse 18:
“But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; SHOW me your faith without the works, and I will SHOW you my faith by my works.”

Look down at verse 22:
“YOU SEE that faith was working with his works…”

Look at verse 24:
“YOU SEE that man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

It is clear that James is talking about FAITH YOU CAN SEE

Now it is true that in many cases the Pharisees were hypocrites who put on an outward display of religion that did not match their heart.

They had works, but they had no faith.

But don’t let their bad example push you to faith with no works
That is the opposite extreme and it’s just as wrong.

While you can have works without faith
You cannot have faith without works.

And that is where James is taking us here.

There are three main points to this passage
As we examine different types of faith.

#1 EFFORTLESS COMPASSION REVEALS DEAD FAITH
James 2:14-18

James wastes no time with two very penetrating and important questions.

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?”

You really need to key in on the word “says” there.
• James is referring to the person who claims to be a Christian.
• James is referring to the person who claims to believe in Christ.

They SAY they believe, but if it wasn’t for their outward confession,
You’d have no idea that they were a Christian.

They are the type of person who says, “I’m a Christian”
And it really sort of shocks you because you would have never guessed it.

And James says, “What use is it..?”

Another way to ask that is,
• “How much value does it have?”
• “What is it worth?”
• “What can it accomplish?”

And if you want to know specifically what James is getting at,
Look at the next question:

“Can that faith save him?”

Now we’re getting to the heart of the issue.

You have a verbal faith that is void of any other evidence…
What can that faith accomplish?

Well, here’s a few things it can do
• It can make you feel better about yourself
• It can also get those evangelistic nuts off your back
• It can help your reputation around other Christians
• It might even gain you access into Christian circles

The reality is that there is value in faith that is only verbal.
The problem is that it has no eternal value.

For all the things that it can do for you,
One thing it can’t do is save your soul from hell.

It may gain you access into the church, but it will not gain you access into heaven.
It may get the evangelist off your back, but it won’t keep you out of hell.
Namely because it is not the kind of faith that God accepts.

James already alluded to this earlier:
James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Even in that verse James revealed that there is a definite MEASURABLE ACTION side that is required in our faith or our religion.

He spoke of VISITING orphans and widows and KEEPING oneself unstained.

And that is the type of religion that God accepts.

But religion or faith that has no action and is not measurable
Is not acceptable to Him.
And so it is not a faith that can save.

And please let this sobering reality sink in a little tonight.

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS FAITH THAT CANNOT SAVE

And man how many times did we see that type of faith in the Bible?

John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
What was that?
• Well salvation requires confessing Jesus as Lord.
• So I don’t know what their faith was, but it wasn’t saving faith.

Here’s another:
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Again, there is a group of “believers”.
I don’t know what type of faith they had, but whatever it was,
It was clear that Jesus didn’t accept it.

He would not give Himself to them.

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

There again, they claimed belief but Jesus wouldn’t buy it.
He wanted to see obedience.

It is worthy to note that later in that very chapter he revealed that those same people:
• Seek to kill Him (37)
• They do not accept His word (37)
• They cannot hear His word (43)
• They are children of Satan (44)
• They are not of God (47)

So again, we are confronted by people who “believe” or people
Who have some kind of faith, but they still are not saved.

I don’t know about other denominations, but Baptists need to hear this.

In our quest to simplify the gospel
We came up with those clever little A,B,C’s of the faith.
(You know – Admit, Believe, Confess)

And it got to such a point that if a person would say
They believed in Jesus, then we would pronounce them a Christian.

And then because we believe in security of the believer someone would tell them, “You’re saved and don’t worry, you can never lose it.”

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO SPELL FALSE ASSURANCE?

Baptists should, because it is has become
One of our main contributions to American Christianity.
Friends – Just because someone says they believe in Jesus
Does not mean they are saved.

Just because you believe in Jesus does not mean you are saved.

Sentimental faith is not enough.
It must be a divine, supernatural faith, God accepted faith.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE THAT KIND OF FAITH?

When that faith arrived, did it change your life?
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

If it didn’t change your life, then it isn’t saving faith.

And that is what James is trying to say.
Your faith cannot be this surface only intellectual claim,
It must be verifiable.
It has to be something that can be seen.

HOW ABOUT A “FOR INSTANCE”?
(James likes hypothetical illustrations)

“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food”

Now there is the hypothetical

1) You have “a brother or sister”
• This isn’t even some pagan
• This isn’t even your enemy
• This is a fellow “brother or sister”

2) And they are “without clothing”

Look at that

James doesn’t say they don’t have the latest fashions,
He says they are “without clothing”

They are either exposed to the elements
Or exposed in an indecent manner.

This isn’t someone with a discontentment this is someone with a need.

And that isn’t all.
3) They also need “daily food”

Now in our culture we don’t know much about “daily food”
We have deep freezers and refrigerators and our food is packed full of preservatives that let it survive on the shelf for hundreds of years.

But when the Bible says “daily food” it means food for today.
They have nothing to eat.

They are a fellow believer, they are naked and they are hungry.
That is a real situation.

And I shouldn’t have to tell you what a Christian should do there.
The word is COMPASSION

And Scripture is clear about it.

Look at the Old Testament:
Exodus 23:10-11 “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.”

God demanded compassion to poor, and that wasn’t even really asking for that much – bare minimum to say the least.

Listen to John the Baptist:
Luke 3:11 “And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 25:34-36 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’”

Or:
Matthew 9:35-38 “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Listen to the apostles:
Galatians 2:9-10 “and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. “They only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do.”

Look at the early church:
Acts 2:44-45 “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”

Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

So at this point everyone is fairly clear on what a Christian should do for “a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food.”

You should give them some of your clothing
And give them some of your food.

That is obvious.

But here is what the person with fake faith did.
(16) “and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,”

Your answer to their dilemma was
To SPEAK A BLESSING OVER THEM

There is some more of that WORD-FAITH junk
We see floating around today.

How many TV preachers have we heard do the exact same thing through their programs?

• We see some preacher dressed to the nines,
• Standing on some elaborate stage,
• Asking for offerings of money from the poor
• In return he speaks a prophecy of blessing over them.
• “I bless your finances in the name of Jesus”
• “I proclaim food in your pantry”
• “I declare clothes in your closet”
• “I speak favor into your bank account”

But if you’ll pay attention the exchange of money
Between them and the poor is all flowing the wrong direction.

They should be sending out checks, not receiving them.

Now granted they are some of the easy examples,
But any time we bless people
But ignore their needs it is the same thing.

And look, I do want to differentiate between people who have a sense of entitlement who are just disgruntled and those who are really in need.

It is true that Scripture tells us that the brother who won’t work is sinning
And needs to be disciplined not provided for.

But at the same time we are talking about the legitimate need
And the fact that true faith always helps that need.

I remember a missionary story I heard about a mission group in a third world country attending a church in need of financial help.

I don’t recall the need, but the solution of one of the team members was, “We’ll pray that God will provide the money that you need.” Instantly a different member of the group responded, “God has provided! Everyone on the mission team get out your wallet!”

But stories like that are not the norm.
And James is frustrated.

Do you want to know about useless faith?
“one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

What you did for that poor brother is just about as pointless
As telling God you believe in Him.

It isn’t verifiable – it isn’t real

And to that James makes a solid point.
(17) “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

You have faith that consists of effortless compassion.
James as a word for that kind of faith – “DEAD”

I don’t know what you have, but it isn’t saving faith.
• You have religion without compassion
• You have religion without love
• You have a belief that has thus far been unable to rid you of selfishness and fill you with divine love.

If you don’t have measurable compassion for the poor,
Then you have a major problem.

1 John 3:17 “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

Or how about this story?
Luke 10:25-37 “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.” But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Now there was a guy who wanted to know the same thing
We are talking about.

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Notice Jesus did not say, “just believe”)

Instead that man realized that selfless love was the requirement
And that birthed the story of the Good Samaritan.

And again you get the point.
Faith that is void of compassion is not saving faith.

AND HERE IS THE KICKER
If all you have is verbal faith with no works
ANYONE CAN SHOOT A HOLE IN THAT!

(18) “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

This isn’t James challenging you,
This is James giving you another hypothetical.

James says, “lets suppose all you have is that verbal faith that is void of any measurable compassion.”

You claim to be a believer, thought it is hardly evident.

Do you know how easy it is to prove you a fraud?
“someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

In other words, all someone has to do to discredit your faith
Is walk up to you and say, “Do you have faith?”
You’d say, “Yes”
And they say, “Show me”

Perhaps you answered, “That’s not possible for faith is spiritual and private and invisible.”

And then they will answer, “I will show you my faith by my works.”

This man basically said – “Put up or ___________”

DO YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?
You have a faith that cannot be verified
This does no good for your mission in the world
This does no good for your eternal hope of heaven

Yesterday Carrie and I bought a new vehicle (hardly new, but new to us)
• We had been approved for a loan before we went,
• But once we decided to buy the car we had to activate the loan.
• At one point during the process a man from the bank said we need to put you
through a verification process. We need you to prove you are who you
say you are.
• They asked me to verify the ages of Bryan and Cheryl Mosley
• Now that wasn’t a hard question, any genuine and true son ought to know
those facts.

But suppose I couldn’t answer,
Do you think they are going to loan me the money?

Nope – because my identify would not be verifiable.

And this is precisely the problem.

We have all these people today claiming to be children of God
And expecting to be effective in their witness
And that they have access to heaven when they die.

BUT THEIR FAITH IS NOT VERIFIABLE – IT IS DEAD

And James wants to know – can you verify your faith?

DO YOU HAVE SIMPLE MEASURABLE COMPASSION?
Luke 6:30-35 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

Jeremiah 22:16 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.”

It is measurable faith and a verifiable relationship.
Now there are two more that James has for us over the remainder of the chapter, but I think it is valuable to simply let this one sink in.

Is my faith verbal or verifiable?
Do I have to tell people I am a Christian, or can they see it in my actions?

And if you want an action to examine tonight,
Look at your compassion on those less fortunate.

God loves the poor
John the Baptist defended the
Jesus loved the poor
The apostles remembered the poor
The early churched helped the poor

If we don’t (especially our brothers and sisters)
Then I don’t know how we make a claim to be one with them.

Now you should also understand that
This is not a sermon about going out and helping the poor.

You know,
• You hear this sermon,
• Fall under conviction
• Run out and buy a bunch of non-perishable items for the Parks Group food drive
• Just so you can feel good about yourself.

This sermon is not about helping the poor, it’s about faith.

And if your faith has yet to produce genuine measurable compassion,
I’m not telling you to give to the poor,
I’m telling you to question your faith.

The issue is not the poor here,
It is whether or not you have a faith that will bring about salvation.

If so far in your Christian life you’ve said you have faith, but you’ve had no works, what kind of faith do you really think you have?

You don’t need to add works – you need to add genuine faith.
(it will add the works)

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Crushing Jacob’s Self-Reliance
Genesis 29:1-30
November 9, 2014

As you know we are working through the book of Genesis,
It is the “The Gospel According to Moses”

Most recently we’ve been dealing with the Patriarchs
(Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob)

And it is impossible to miss the fact that
God’s work in each of these 3 lives has been strikingly similar.

• He chose all three
• He made promises to all three
• He sanctified all three
• He glorified all three

We certainly saw that in Abraham and Isaac,
We are now seeing it unfold again in Jacob.

We have said from the beginning that we learn a great deal about GRACE
As we examine how God works in Jacob’s life.

By now you’ve got a pretty good handle on Jacob.
He was the second of twin boys, but God chose him to be first.

That means that according to God’s sovereign decree
Jacob was going to receive the birthright and the blessing.
God promised it, it was going to happen.

But if you’ll remember this is where
The main flaw in Jacob’s character began to reveal itself.

Jacob was not primarily a man of faith
Jacob was not primarily a man who sought God
JACOB WAS A SELF-RELIANT MAN

That doesn’t mean that Jacob wasn’t interested in God, he was.
That doesn’t mean that Jacob didn’t believe in God, he did.

We all remember last week as Jacob had a dream
And God revealed His plan to bless Jacob and be with him.

Jacob appreciated that and believed that
And even promised that if God would do that then God would be his God.

The problem was that even though Jacob knew God,
Jacob wasn’t to the point where he was fully depending on God.

He was not yet a man of faith.
And we have seen that haven’t we?
Jacob has routinely been a man who took matters into his own hands.

• Have you seen Jacob pray yet?
• Have you heard Jacob petition God yet?
• Have you observed Jacob waiting on God yet?

And the answer is no.
• Jacob had a plan for getting the birthright and he pulled it off
• Jacob had a plan for getting the blessing and he pulled it off

The one encounter Jacob had with God,
Was initiated by God in one of Jacob’s dreams.

THE POINT IS THAT JACOB IS FAR TOO SELF-RELIANT.

PRESENTLY IN OUR STORY
Jacob is about to enter what we have called “Laban’s University”
(It is not much different from the “Wilderness University” we have often spoken of)

And Jacob is about to earn a faith degree.
He is going in depending on self, he’ll come out depending on God.

By the time we get to chapter 32, Jacob will be on the run.
He’ll have Esau (whom he cheated) in front of him with 400 men
He’ll have Laban (whom he cheated) behind him.

And in that chapter Jacob will wrestle with God
Until God promises to bless him.

In short, Jacob enters Laban’s University depending on self,
He’ll come out so dependent on God
That he won’t let go until God promises to bless him.

So it’s not hard to see what God is up to.
• God is pruning Jacob
• God is molding Jacob
• God is sanctifying Jacob

And we call this GRACE

It is nothing short of the grace of God
That God is willing to mold Jacob into the man he must become.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Grace certainly saves us, but it also instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, and righteously and godly in the present age”

It also causes us to look “for the blessed hope”
That God has set before us.

This is the type of grace that is now at work in Jacob’s life.

If you want a little more of an outline, let me give it to you like this.

Jacob’s time with Laban will be characterized by three major events.
All three events are steeped in intrigue, deception, and strife.

The first time Jacob is a VICTIM of Scheming – bride swap
(Namely because he is disregarding God)

The second time Jacob is a VIEWER of Scheming – Leah vs. Rachel
(And here he acknowledges that he is not God)

The third time Jacob is VICTOR over Scheming – earning Laban’s flock
(And here he is fully dependent upon God)

That is what God is doing in Jacob’s life.
• It is a process of pruning
• It is a process of transformation
• It is a process of education
• It is a process of sanctification

IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF GRACE AT WORK IN JACOB’S LIFE

Hopefully you’ll see that clearly as we study through these texts,
Hopefully you’ll be able to recognize that same grace at work in your life.

Well, this morning
Let’s look at that first major lesson that Jacob is about to learn.

It’s not a pleasant one, but there is little doubt that it would grab Jacob’s attention.
Jacob will fall victim to Laban’s scheme of swapping brides.

There are two main points we’ll look at this morning
As we see God begin to crush Jacob’s self-reliance.

#1 JACOB’S CONFIDENCE
Genesis 29:1-20

Hopefully you remember where Jacob is in the story.

He has just secured the blessing from Isaac,
But because he did it in a deceptive way, Esau wants to kill him.

To keep that from happening
Rebekah devised a plan for Jacob to flee to Laban for a wife.

Genesis 28:2 “Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.”

No doubt Jacob would have been rattled by this request,
For leaving the land of promise was never part of the plan.

However we heard Isaac encourage Jacob’s faith,
Asking him to trust in the God of Abraham

Then we saw God specifically encourage Jacob’s faith
With a dream and a divine promise.

Genesis 28:12-15 “He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

The ladder was a picture of God working on earth.
(Children sing “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder” but that is wrong.
That ladder is not for us to go up, it is for God to come down)

God has come down to work specifically for Jacob.
• God is going to secure the land for him (good for a man leaving)
• God is going to turn him into a blessing (good for a man of contention)
• God is going to be with him and secure the promise

And what we learned was that these promises and revelations
Must have greatly lifted Jacob’s spirits.

In fact verse 1 says, “Then Jacob went on his journey”
The Hebrew translates “Then Jacob lifted up his feet”

It is a connotation of excitement and enthusiasm.
Jacob’s joy and excitement for the trip have been restored.

He may have been perplexed at having to flee the Promised Land,
But Isaac’s reminder and God’s revelation
Have certainly lifted Jacob’s spirits.

And everything you see for the next 20 verses
Drips of a man overflowing with optimism and self-confidence.

First you notice that
• Jacob comes to the land
• Sees a well and makes acquaintance with the people there.
• He asks if it is Laban’s land and inquires how Laban is doing.
• And Jacob learns that Laban is doing well.

And after he learns this you will see
Jacob’s first expression of self-confidence.

1) SHEPHERDING ADVICE
(7) “He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water the sheep, and go, pasture them.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy it
When total strangers come up to me and tell me how to do my job better.

When you think about it, this was pretty brass thing Jacob did.
These were shepherds from this reason
They obviously knew why they were doing what they were doing

And yet Jacob didn’t mind jumping right in there and giving his advice.

But Moses makes it clear why they are waiting.
(3) “When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.”

Verse 2 tells us that “the stone on the mouth of the well was large.”
That hardly seems like pertinent information
Until you learn that this is why the shepherds were all gathered.

Jacob wondered why they’d be watering flocks in the middle of the day
Instead of pasturing them.

(8) “But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

The reason they were there is because they couldn’t move the stone by themselves. It was a large stone and they couldn’t move it.

Well, Rachel arrives and this leads to
Jacob’s second display of self confidence.

2) SHOW OF STRENGTH
(9-10) “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.”
You ladies might not know why Jacob went and moved that stone by himself, but every man in here does.

This was his opportunity to show off for Rachel.
“I’ll move a stone that none of these can move by themselves!”

And come on, if you’re one of those other shepherds
You’ve had about all of Jacob that you can stand.

This arrogant punk walks in here questions our shepherding skills and then he-mans this rock out of the way to show how strong he is.
“This guy thinks he is really something special!”

Self-confidence right?

Well that’s not all
3) STEALING A KISS

(11-12) “Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept. Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.”

You can call this just a customary greeting if you want,
But I say, “No way”. Jacob’s biorhythms are sky high.

He’s a big shot with big plans
He’s laying claim to all he wants and not afraid to show it

He is flying high.

And that still doesn’t change.
4) SERVICE OF LABAN

READ VERSES 13-20

Because Jacob fled Canaan with no money,
He has nothing to offer Laban for Rachel’s hand.

Jacob’s only recourse is to work off the debt,
And Jacob instantly pops off that he’ll give 7 years for Rachel as a wife.

I can’t help but detect a little boldness in this as well.
Do you think such a sacrifice impressed Rachel? I think it was supposed to.

And of course we notice that even the service
Went right according to Jacob’s plan.

(20) “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.”
SO WHAT IS THE POINT SO FAR?

Namely that Jacob is dripping with self-confidence
• He’s making plans
• He’s chasing dreams
• And everything is working exactly as it should

If there was ever a man who has the world by the tail it’s Jacob.
• He planned and got the birthright from Esau
• He planned and got the blessing from Isaac
• He planned and got Rachel from Laban

I promise you, in Jacob’s mind, he has the Midas touch.
He’s even got God in his hip pocket
Just to make sure everything goes according to plan.

This is a man walking in extreme self-confidence.

And let me tell you:
THAT HAS TO GO

James said it best about people who trust in their own plans:
James 4:13-16 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”

That is another way of saying:
DON’T EVER GET TOO BIG FOR YOUR BRITCHES!

It may seem like your plans are dipped in butter,
Coated with gold, and as solid as iron.

You may think your capable of outrunning speeding bullets
And leaping tall buildings in a single bound

But let me remind you:
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.”

All those who got too self-confident fell flat on their face.

Just ask Peter:
Mark 14:29 “But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”

Just ask the guy who had so much grain in his barns
He decided to build bigger ones and rest in security for the rest of his life.
Luke 12:20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

Just ask Job
TURN TO: Job 29:1-20

Self-confidence in what you’ve done or can do is a very dangerous thing.

That is why Scripture says:
Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

And now you’re catching on to the problem with Jacob.
He wasn’t necessarily a bad man
And his plans weren’t necessarily bad plan.

It’s just that it is pretty clear Jacob was trusting in his own abilities
And leaning on his own understanding.

He was full of self-confidence
And he was RIPE to have the rug pulled right out from under him.

Enter Laban…

Jacob’s Confidence
#2 JACOB’S CONSEQUENCE
Genesis 29:21-30

Now there is a familiar story
(and again eerily similar to one we’ve already read)

Jacob’s plan has worked to perfection
And so he approaches Laban with his familiar cocky confidence and says, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.”

You can hear his tone can’t you?
(I don’t think those were the exact words I used when I spoke to Carrie’s dad)
Jacob is used to getting what he wants
Simply because he has always been a step ahead of the game.
(He’s a J.R. Ewing if there ever was one.)

But look out Jacob, you’re not the only one with a trick up your sleeve.
Laban throws the party,
Laban invites the guests,
Laban presents the bride.

(23-24) “Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.”

People often ask how Jacob could not have known.

Granted parts of this story seem a little far-fetched.
(But I remind you it wasn’t nearly as far-fetched as the trick he played on Isaac)

There are two reasons that Jacob was fooled.
Thick veil and dark tent

Laban played this thing cool.
• He brought a bride (customary)
• He gave a maid (customary)

Everything here looked like normal and thus Jacob had no red flags
Because Jacob is used to his plan always working.

(25) “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?”

Now would probably be a good time to insert the verse.
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Perhaps Jacob should write home to Isaac
About what it feels like to have someone dress up and pretend they are someone they really aren’t in order to get what they want from you.

Had Jacob forgotten that Rebekah (who masterminded the first deception) was Laban’s sister?

JACOB HAS JUST MET HIS MATCH.

And let me remind you.
When you live by your wits, you are prone to get out-witted.

There is always someone craftier, smoother, or better at it than you.

That is why trusting in your own plans, schemes, abilities, discernment
Is a foolish endeavor.

You are asking to be hood-winked.

Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Laban just got the best of Jacob.
(26-30) “But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. “Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.” Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.”

Now let me ask you,
Can you feel some of the starch just come right out of Jacob?

Where is that cocky, confident, take the bull by the horns boy
We saw at the beginning of the chapter?

Well, that boy is gone.
He has just been brought down to size.

He has just been taught that he is not the most clever
He has just been taught that he is not the most wise

And he is finally learning that if he is going to succeed in life,
He might need some help.

JACOB’S SELF-CONFIDENCE JUST GOT CRUSHED.

And friend this is a necessary work
That God must do in the life of every person He calls to Himself.

You cannot succeed while trusting in yourself,
Your faith must move from you to God.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

Those that trust in self are cursed
Those that trust in God are blessed

AND SO A NECESSARY WORK OF GRACE
Is for you to be taken through situations that force you to quit trusting your own abilities and to start trusting His.

Psalms 30:6-9 “Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be moved.” O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed. To You, O LORD, I called, And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?”

Did you catch how a little adversity
Turned the Psalmist to begin trusting God?

Listen to Paul.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”

The point is that self-confidence is not where God wants you.

And this has been one of the major lies of our society.

This country (especially our school systems) spend great amounts of effort promoting Self-Esteem and Self-Worth and Self-Confidence
And even Self-Love

But those things are contrary to God’s plan for your life.
In fact to follow Jesus at all the very first thing you must do is deny self.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

God does not want you confident in yourself or your own abilities.
God wants you confident in Him.

And part of His greatest work of grace
Is when He takes you through those moments that teach you that.

• So you had a financial dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a medical dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a physical dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had a relationship dilemma that was beyond your control…
• So you had an emotional dilemma that was beyond your control…

That’s good – it was meant to teach you to trust in God
Because none of those things are beyond His control.

But even that is not the final objective.

Because financial, medical, physical, relational, emotional issues
Are not the most important.

The most important issues you will ever face in life are spiritual issues.
And you most certainly must learn
That those issues are beyond your control.

If you are allowed to think that you are in control own fate
Then it’s possible you’ll take the matter of your soul into your own hands
AND THIS RESULTS IN CERTAIN FAILURE.

So God, in His grace, teaches you just how fragile you are
Because if you learn nothing else in this life
You had better learn to trust Him.

Jacob is on that path.

And so are the children of Israel whom Moses is preaching to.
God ripped them from Egypt and placed them in the wilderness and if they were learning nothing else it was that they had to daily depend on God for everything!

Self-Reliance would get them nowhere!

And it won’t get you anywhere either.
• So learn from your struggles
• Recognize just how weak and hopeless you really are
• Quit leaning on your own abilities and understanding

AND CAST IT ALL ON THE BACK OF GOD

Jacob isn’t doing that yet, but in about 13 more years he will.

That’s grace at work!

Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,”

The Inevitable Solution for Sin
Genesis 6:1-22
January 4, 2014

Well this morning I think it’s safe to say that
The whole thing is about to come to a head.

You probably don’t need much of introduction to Genesis 6.
Most of you already knew that it was the beginning of the story of
What is commonly called “Noah’s Ark”.

And when I mention “Noah’s Ark” you probably first have a mental image
Of a big boat and animals streaming to it with blue skies
And probably even a rainbow.

Everyone loves the story of Noah’s ark.
I would even venture to say that no other Bible story
Is more widely used to decorate nurseries than this one.

And this is a little humorous since no story in human history
Ever depicted the wrath of God and the judgment of sinners
Like this one.

• This story is not just about an ark that Noah built.
• This story is not just about all the animals entering 2 by 2.

This story depicts the obvious end for sinners.
This story is one of death.
This story is one of a global judgment.

We talk about judgment in the Bible and we mention events like:
• Sodom and Gomorrah
• Babylon burning Jerusalem

But those are nothing compared to what occurs in Genesis 6 & 7.
God is about to wipe all humanity.
God is about to kill everyone.
Death is about to occur in the largest scale we have ever seen.

And really we should have seen this coming.
Ever since Genesis 3:6 when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree
This is where we were headed.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

Ever since sin entered the world,
Judgment has been the only possible way the story could end.
There is no way a holy God was going to just let humanity continue to defy His commands and wreck His creation.

Sooner or later it had to come to this.
Sooner or later death had to occur.
And that is what we see here beginning in Genesis chapter 6.

Make no mistake, this is not just some “Children’s Story”.
What we are studying here is the first clear indication
Of what God thinks of sin.

Up until this point, God has been striving against sin.
• God has been warning
• God has been calling
• God has been pleading with sinners

But in Genesis 6 God says, “Enough”

And no story in the Bible should drive into your heart the reality that another judgment is coming like this one does.

In fact even in the New Testament when mockers arose to deny the actuality of a coming judgment, Peter referenced this story.

2 Peter 3:3-10 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

You should not think it is beyond the nature of God to wipe out all humanity.
You should not harbor such thoughts as “A loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell.”
Listen friends, He already did.

He already wiped out all humanity once, and He will do it again.

Sin only leads to one inevitable result and that is judgment.
It is seen clearly here in Genesis 6.

So this morning we begin this study commonly referred to as “Noah’s Ark”
And I want to begin by showing you God’s solution for sin.
Now think about it for a moment.
Through our study (and even in our society)
We have already come to realize that sin is an epidemic.

• We recognize that sin is the cause for enmity, pain, and toil in this life.
• We recognize that sin spreads like it did with Cain’s line.
• We recognize that sin brings death.

Mostly we realize that something must be done about it.
How do we get rid of sin?

Now Seth taught us what we should do.
Seth taught us to call on the name of the Lord.

But what is God’s solution for sin?
The answer is total eradication.

Now I know that sounds harsh
I know that flies in the face of a tolerant culture
But let’s look at Genesis 6.

Three things:
#1 GOD’S MOTIVE FOR JUDGMENT
Genesis 6:1-7

Now we know where we are in the story.
We have sin on the move.
And it is moving fast.

We’ve already seen deception, disobedience, murder, worldliness, polygamy, and tolerance.
By now I’m sure the list has grown extensively.

But even more than a list of sins, when God looked upon the earth
What He saw was sinners who were completely preoccupied with sin and who had no desire for repentance.

Notice what is occurring here.
(1-2) “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Now this is a tough story, and one that has been subject to various interpretations over the years.

But if you’ll give me a moment I’ll explain to you what was happening.

Some have commented on this (Calvin, Henry)
• And said that “the sons of God” were Seth’s line
• And they were sinning because they married “the daughters of men”
• Whom they determine to be Cain’s line.

And the sin is seen that the only reason they married them
Was because they “were beautiful;”

Their application is that God’s people should not intermingle with the children of the world just because they are physically attractive.

But that is not what is going on here.
No adultery is mentioned here, and even though it is shouldn’t be your only criteria, I’m pretty sure it’s not a sin to marry a woman whom you find attractive.
(How many of you men were drawn to your wife because you thought she was ugly?)

Furthermore “sons of God” is not a term of humans.
“sons of men” is a term for humans.

What we have occurring here is a very heinous crime
And one that would greatly motivate God’s judgment.

The New Testament actually gives us a clearer picture of the event.
1 Peter 3:18-20 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”

Peter mentions that in the days of Noah there were spirits sent to prison.

These spirits were still there during the death of Christ,
For Christ made proclamation to them when He died.

And you must understand these were not humans, or else the world used would have been the word for “souls”. These were spirits.

What did these spirits do in the days of Noah; why were they in prison?

2 Peter 2:4-5 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”

Peter simply says they sinned.
And for their sin they were cast into hell
And committed to pits of darkness and were reserved for judgment.

But even more specific than that, what did they do?
Jude 5-7 “Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

Now Jude is following the same course of thought as Peter
And he is writing about how God is faithful to judge sin.

He first mentions the apostates of Israel.
Men who should have been God’s,
But who defected and because they defected were destroyed.

Then he mentions angels “who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode” and because of this God is keeping them in eternal bonds for judgment.

Well what does he mean they “abandoned their proper abode”?

Notice he compares them to Sodom and Gomorrah saying, “just as Sodom and Gomorrah…indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh”

Well you know the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were proponents of homosexuality, which God called going after “strange flesh”,

That is seeking a relationship outside of what God intended.

Well, that is what these angels did.
They sought a relationship outside of their natural abode, outside of what God intended, and because of that God put them in prison.

Now back to Genesis.
(1-2) “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Here are those angels, the “sons of God”.
And here is where they went after strange flesh.
Here is where they abandoned their proper abode.

They were marrying the “daughters of men”
(Certainly possessing a human was required for this)

But you have here the first record of demon possession
And heavy demonic influence on the earth.

And as these demon possessed men, and married women
They were producing offspring who were corrupt and violent.
A comparison of their brutality is seen in verse 4.
(4) “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

“Nephilim” was a Hebrew word that meant “the fallen ones” and became the name representing “those with great power who crush people”

To help you understand it better;
When the spies were sent out by Moses to survey the land
They saw men who appeared to be giants and were terrified of them.

Numbers 13:31-33 “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Those in Numbers are not descendants of these in Genesis 6,
Since they all drowned, but the imagery is seen.

The offspring of these demon possessed men and these women
Were extremely violent and cruel and powerful people.

I suppose the only good illustration of what they were like
Would be seen in the demon possessed of the New Testament.

Mark 5:1-5 “They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.”

Matthew 8:28 “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.”

That is what we are dealing with here.

It is no longer just humanity indulging in sin.
But it is humanity yielding themselves up to spiritual beings
And the consequence is extreme sin and power and violence.

(11-12) “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.”
This violent sinful influence was permeating the globe
And succeeding in corrupting the whole earth.

That is what is occurring on the world.
Sin is spiraling out of control.

And you will notice God’s response to this:
(3) “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Up until now man was living 8 and 9 hundred years.
Methuselah lived to 969.

Even the wicked lived that long, and God said, “My Spirit shall not strive with [them] forever, because [they] also [are] flesh”

The picture is of God routinely confronting, routinely convicting,
Routinely correcting sinners and to no avail.

Man was “flesh”
Indicating that they DESIRED the flesh,
That they WANTED the flesh,
And that they FOLLOWED the flesh.

And despite God’s warnings and God’s corrections man wasn’t listening.

And that is especially seen in verse 5:
(5) “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Now there is a statement on sin.
“the wickedness of man was great”

“every intent”
“of the thoughts of his heart”
“only evil”
“continually”

The point here is that humanity wanted sin.
And that is all they wanted.
• They didn’t want to hear from God
• They weren’t interested in God’s correction
• All they could think about was how to keep sinning

The fact that they were dabbling in the world of demonic beings
Reveals that they were willing to travel to any length to expand their sin.
That is all they could think about.

And this is the tragic predicament of sinners
They aren’t interested in God.
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

There was a spirit working in them that only wanted the lust of the flesh
And the desire of the mind.

You would think after the fall and all the hardship that came as a result of it, that men would run from sin and seek God.

And yet just the opposite is happening.
Man is running from God and seeking sin.

From God’s view point it is a struggle just to get man to listen
And it is a struggle God has grown weary of.

And that reality led to God’s decision to destroy the earth.
(6-7) “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

God is actually seen here as one who is grieving.
He regrets even creating man.

To know what He created back in Genesis 1
And to see what it has become by Genesis 6 literally grieves God.

And His decision is to “blot out man…from the face of the land”

They are vile, they are wretched, and they defile everything.
They are a heinous cancer and the earth has to be purged of them.

And God was “sorry” that He made them.

Now listen to me, this is important.

SO FAR WE HAVE SEEN that sin separates and sin kills and sin brings a curse.
We know that if we choose sin it will not have the desired effect on our lives.

Choosing sin is never the right choice.

BUT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THAT MAIN PROBLEM WITH SIN?
• It grieves God.
• It offends God.
• It angers God.
• It motivates God to judgment.
That is the problem with sin.

If all it was was some set of temporal consequences
Then you could certainly choose whether or not
The pleasure was worth the consequence.

You could say, “Well, I know it will bring about a negative effect, but the present joy I am feeling is worth it.”

You could actually take that view if that were all it was.

But it isn’t.
The main problem with sin is that offends the One who created you
And motivates Him to judgment.
That is why sin is so dangerous – God judges it!

That alone should you give you pause about sinning.
You know those sins that you can do in secret that no one knows about, and they don’t hurt anyone but you…

Wrong, God knows about them
And He is offended and He is grieved.

At the very least we should read the story about the flood
And take a whole new perspective on the dangers of grieving God.

Isaiah 63:7-10 “I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, According to all that the LORD has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”

Ephesians 4:25-32 “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

In light of the flood
Passages like that take on a whole new meaning don’t they?

God was here grieved with sinners and so He decided to judge the world.

Man was preoccupied with nothing but sin
And God determined to blot them out.

God’s Motive for Judgment
#2 GOD’S MERCY IN JUDGMENT
Genesis 6:8-13

Now there is a breath of fresh air.
“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord”

Of all of humanity, there was one whom God didn’t want to destroy.

Well I suppose we should ask why?
(9) “These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.”

Who does that sound like?
Enoch who also walked with God.

Do you think Moses is making a point here?
• One man walked with God and escaped death.
• Another man walked with God escaped judgment.

And notice God’s mercy to this man.
(13) “Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”

God didn’t have to tell Noah that.
God didn’t have to fill him in on what was coming.

But God was merciful to Noah.
God was allowing Noah to see the coming judgment and to see a way through it.

• How important is it to walk with God?
• How important is it seek to please Him?
• How important is it listen to His commands?
• How important is it to learn from His rebuke?

You know the answer.
God was merciful to Noah and to his household
Simply because Noah chose to do His will.

And even in the midst of judgment we find mercy.

God’s Motive for Judgment God’s Mercy in Judgment
#3 GOD’S MEANS OF SALVATION
Genesis 6:14-22

Here we find that Noah was to build an ark.
And if you are a ship builder and want to do the math on the ark
To see if it will work, go ahead.

But the main point is this:
(17-18) “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark — you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”

Noah was to build an ark because God was sparing Noah.

Incidentally God was also sparing Noah’s family on his account.
Never underestimate the influence of one Godly individual in a household.

• Lot saved his daughters…
• Cornelius saved his family…
• Rahab saved her family…
• Noah did as well…

Because Noah stood against his culture and did not crave sin,
God spared Noah with an ark and even made a covenant with him.

That is to say God made an alliance with Noah.
God made and agreement with Noah.

Noah sought God while everyone else sought sin and it paid off for him.

Now here is what I want you to understand.
The means for Noah’s salvation was an ark.

• Enoch walked with God and God saved him from judgment.
• Noah walked with God and God saved him through it.

And I want you to know that this type of salvation is the salvation
God has preserved for those today who seek Him.

TURN TO: 1 Peter 3:18-22

What Peter is saying there is that Jesus is your ark through the judgment.
He died on the cross for sin
He entered death and burst out the other side.

Now we are saved “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

We don’t skip death
We go through it in Christ Jesus.

See friends there is a judgment coming.
First was the flood, next comes the fire.

It is a certainty, for the sin that grieved God then still grieves Him today.
And He will judge sinners.

(just read Revelation some time)

But salvation through the judgment is possible in Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly… then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

God knows how to judge the wicked
And God knows how to save the righteous.

One last thing
(22) “Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”
That’s good advice.
Obey the Lord.

• Noah’s command was to build the ark, and he did.
• Our command is to repent of sin and submit to Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Today
• I invite you to believe God as Noah did – there is a judgment.
• I invite you to obey God as Noah did and enter your ark.

Our ark is Jesus Christ.
We enter, by repenting of sin, trusting in His saving work,
And submitting to Him as Lord.

Time measured out my days
Life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God
But knew I’d never be so strong
I looked hard at this world
To learn how heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began
Where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace
I can tell you where I’d be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace

So here is all my praise
Expressed with all my heart
Offered to the Friend who took my place
And ran a course I could not start
And when He saw in full
Just how much His would cost
He still went the final mile between me and heaven
So I would not be lost

Were it not for grace
I can tell you where I’d be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace

The Consequences of Favoritism
James 2:8-13
November 2, 2014

As you know we are working our way through the book of James.
It is a very candid look at what a Christian ought to look like.

James’ main focus for every Christian is simply that they “BE REAL”

And honestly we can all identify with this sentiment.

Nothing proves to be more frustrating to those who know Christ
Than the phony fringe that calls itself Christianity
And yet does not adhere to the standard of Christ.

While we certainly do not agree with Islam or Buddhism or Mormonism or Christian Science, or other false religions…

Even they don’t grieve us like those who take the name of Jesus
And yet refuse to follow Him.

It is frustrating to say the least, and that is also James’ frustration.
He is really only asking one thing:
If you claim to follow Jesus, would you at least determine to live like Him?

And honestly that is not too much to ask.
After all, every Christian has agreed to deny himself,
Take up his cross, and follow Jesus.

Beyond that, the goal of Christianity is to become like Christ.

Paul wrote:
Galatians 4:19 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you”

Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

And so it is true that the success of our Christian calling
Is directly related to how much we look like Christ.

If Christ-likeness is the goal, then you can examine where you are in your Christian journey by how much you look like Him.

And James is more than willing to help you with that task.
• He has brought up issues like how we handle trials
• He has brought up issues like how we respond to God’s word
• He has brought up issues like the goal of our religion

And last Sunday night he introduced the concept of favoritism.
What we looked at last week is really the moral side of favoritism.
James really just appealed to our conscience or our moral code,
Even our own logic to expose why favoritism is wrong.

He shamed us for any time we judge people
Based on their status or their wealth or their race.

James appealed to us that this is wrong because
It reveals a selfish motive whereby we are only trying to rub elbows
With people who can benefit us in return.

Obviously this is not the mindset that a Christian should have.

Jesus Himself said:
Luke 14:12-14 “And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

In short, favoritism should just feel wrong to a Christian.
Something about it should prick your conscience.
You just ought not to be able to live with yourself if you play favorites.

Favoritism that disregards the poor and caters to the rich
Actually reveals a standard of judgment
That is absolutely opposite of God’s standard.

God has accepted the poor man and granted him faith
God has rejected the rich man because of his self-sufficiency
But those who show selfish favoritism do just the opposite.

And we talked about all that last week.
James just really revealed that favoritism is in fact morally wrong
And it should bother you when you show it.

Well, if James wasn’t successful in appealing to your conscience,
Tonight James is going to appeal to your sense of self-preservation.

Tonight we examine the legal side of favoritism.

Maybe your conscience isn’t bothered by showing favoritism,
Well rest assured that this does not get you off the hook.

There is a real and certain punishment that awaits it.

If a thief won’t quit stealing simply because it is morally wrong, then maybe he’ll quit under threat of punishment.

That is where James takes us tonight.
Having seen the moral side of favoritism,
Now let’s look at the legal side of it.

And tonight we learn that not only is favoritism wrong,
It is dangerous…for you.

There are two points James makes tonight.
#1 FAVORITISM REVEALS A LACK OF LOVE RESULTING IN CONVICTION
James 2:8-11

You will quickly recognize that verse 8 is very much
A part of the argument James started back in verse 1.

The word “however” provides that link.

He talked about showing favoritism and judging with evil motives,
Here James talks about the flip side.

“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,’ you are doing well.”

After showing us that you are doing wrong if you show favoritism,
Here James says “you are doing well” when you don’t.

This is in fact a barometer from James
That provides a means of evaluating your Christian life.

Do you want to know how you are doing in your endeavor to follow Christ?
Do you want to know if He is pleased with you?

Well, here is a gauge.
• If you are showing favoritism, you are not doing very well.
• If however you are showing love (the opposite of favoritism) “you are doing well.”

Hopefully it is your desire to hear the Lord say,
“Well done, good and faithful servant…”

Well, if you aren’t showing favoritism, that is exactly what He is saying.

LOVE IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAVORITISM

And when we show love we are “doing well” because:
“Love” is the fulfillment of the Law.

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Matthew 7:12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Whenever you purpose not to wrong your brother,
But to treat him as you desire to be treated,
You are doing exactly what the Law intended.
In short, YOU ARE GETTING IT

But an attempt to keep all the commandments,
But not to do well to your brother totally misses the point.

(9) “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

I hope this is serious to you, it certainly would have been to the Jews.

It is a tragedy that “sin” no longer frightens us like it is supposed to.

We talked about it a few weeks ago,
But really our concern is suffering not sinning.

But listen, if your fear is suffering, then you ought to fear sin.
Because sin causes the ultimate suffering.
Sin causes eternal suffering at the hand of a holy God.

If you really don’t like suffering then you really ought to avoid sin.
The Jews understood this.

When you read their Law, sin was the ultimate taboo.
It literally meant “to miss the mark”

To commit a sin was to be a chronic spiritual underachiever.
To be a sinner was one who did not measure up.
It is to be one who let God down and did not please Him.

Nothing could be worse than to sin.

Except possible to be a transgressor.

A transgressor was the worst kind of sinner.
It wasn’t just one who missed the mark, it was one who took their failure and rubbed it right in the face of God.

It is to know what God has forbidden and to essentially say,
“I don’t care” and do it anyway.
And this is very serious!
Numbers 15:30-31 “But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. ‘Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.'”

God adds insubordination to a long list of things that can cause you to be “cut off”.

And James wants to make sure that his readers understand that
Showing “partiality” is not only “sin” but also makes you “transgressors”

Deuteronomy 1:17 “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’”

Leviticus 19:15-18 “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD. ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

Those commands make it clear that showing “partiality”
Is not only falling short of God’s divine standard
But is also a clear act of subordination against God.

That is you doing what God specifically told you not to do,
And James says that brings a conviction in God’s court of law.

You “are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

When you stand before the Judge, and the evidence is given,
God will look you and the eye and declare you guilty.

And here is the kicker.
He will not just declare you guilty of showing partiality,
He will also declare you guilty of insubordination.

“convicted by the law as” What? (not “as partial”)
“transgressors”

You will be guilty for your sin and guilty for your lack of reverence to Him.

And that is what James continues to show.

It’s not so much about what sin you committed,
As much as it is about the fact that you completely ignored God.

(10-11) “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”

Here James makes that famous statement about how
If you break one command you are guilty of it all.
WHY?

Well, there is a key phrase James uses.
“For He who said…also said…”

What James is reminding you of is that breaking the Law
Is not primarily a morality issue.

When God gave the Law, the main issue wasn’t your morality,
It was your level of obedience.

It’s not just about you doing right or wrong
It’s about whether or you not you will do what God says.
(That’s why some of the commands of God seemed far-fetched)

And if you break any Law,
It really doesn’t matter if in your mind it was a big one or a little one,
Either way you totally disrespected God’s authority.

THAT IS THE ISSUE.

Sure James listed two of the sins that the Jews saw as particularly heinous, “Murder” and “Adultery”

And Jews knew those things were wrong and detestable.

But James reminds them that keeping commands like that,
But breaking the command about favoritism
Equally makes you a transgressor of God’s Law.

Let me put it to you with perhaps a more modern day spin.
• You are aware that homosexuality is a sin
• You are aware that abortion is a sin
• You are aware that rape is a sin

And anyone who does that we obviously label them
As one who missed the mark.

But what about those seemingly insignificant commands like
“pray without ceasing” or “do not forsake assembling together”
Or do not have “an attitude of personal favoritism”?

Do you realize that failing to obey those commands is just as heinous to God as failing to obey those commands about the “big” sins?

Because regardless of the sin, you disregarded God’s command.
That is transgression.

And that is James’ point.
• The issue is whether or not you have a genuine fear of the Lord
• The issue is whether or not you have a desire to obey Him
• The issue is whether or not you have submitted to His authority

Any time I would speed Carrie would say to me,
“Do you not believe in the authority of the word of God?”
(The Bible says to submit to the governing authorities)

Now that would get me, but at the core she was right.
Breaking a command is breaking a command
Regardless of what the command is.

I would never have killed someone,
But speeding didn’t seem like a big deal,
And yet both are a clear cut case of insubordination against God.

In both cases I would stand before the Judge and He would say, “Guilty of insubordination, you are a transgressor of My command.”

And so James’ first point is pretty loaded.
FAVORITISM IS A LACK OF LOVE RESULTING IN A CONVICTION.

If you don’t avoid it because it is morally wrong,
Then avoid it because it is legally wrong.

#2 FAVORITISM IS A LACK OF MERCY RESULTING IN JUDGMENT
James 2:12-13

Failing to love will bring a certain conviction under God’s court of Law,
But a conviction is only the beginning.

Being convicted is only scary because of what follows the conviction
JUDGMENT
People wouldn’t worry about being declared guilty
If there was no punishment for being guilty.

Well not only does James point out a conviction,
Now he moves on to the judgment.

It starts with a clear command.

“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”

Now let’s talk about this a second.

What is “the law of liberty”?

It is not a law that condemns, it is a law that frees.

We are not here talking about the Law of Moses,
We are talking about the Law of Christ.

The Law of Moses brought condemnation and death.
Romans 7:9-10 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;”

Galatians 4:8-9 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?”

That Law condemned men up under their sin
And brought the full force of punishment upon sinners.
That is obviously NOT the Law we want to be under.

We desire “the law of liberty”

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Those in Christ have been redeemed from the Law.
• They have been shown mercy
• They have had their debt paid
• They have been granted righteousness.

That is what Paul meant:
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Christ paid the debt against us and granted us His righteousness and thus those who are Christians are no longer judged by the Law of Moses.

We are now judged by “the law of liberty”
All the sins we’ve previously committed have been paid in full.
Christ has settled it.

We will stand before Christ to answer for how we lived as Christians,
But it will not be a condemning judgment.

We won’t stand judgment as objects of wrath,
We will stand there as objects of mercy.

We are now under “the law of liberty”

You should understand that.

Well James says it’s time for you to live like it.

“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”

You of all people should understand the value of mercy.
You of all people should understand the value of not being treated as you deserve.
You of all people should understand the value of not being discriminated against.

And certainly that would be even more true
For those of us who are Gentiles.

We should have been discriminated against and yet Christ didn’t.
• He accepted us
• He called us
• He accepted the filthy, the blind, the lame, the unclean

He showed us mercy when we didn’t deserve it.

Now James says,
LIVE LIKE PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF MERCY

WHY?
(13) “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy;”

That statement is the flip side of what Jesus taught.
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

What they are saying is that you won’t show mercy
Then you obviously haven’t received it.

A failure to offer mercy is a failure to understand it,
And this then is a failure to have received it.

AND PEOPLE WITHOUT MERCY ONLY RECEIVE JUDGMENT

TURN TO: MATTHEW 18:21-35
That man makes an accurate illustration of what James is talking about.
That man totally disregarded the value of mercy and thus didn’t receive it.

And that is James’ point.
• If you show favoritism you can expect to be convicted in God’s court of Law.
• And if you are convicted of not having mercy you can expect to be judged to the full extent of the Law.

And so James leaves us with one final yet penetrating truth.

“mercy triumphs over judgment”

Now, after learning that you will be convicted for favoritism
And after learning that you will be judged without mercy
DOES MERCY SOUND LIKE A GOOD THING OR A BAD THING TO YOU?

Obviously we will agree that mercy is a pretty good thing.
THEN OFFER IT TO OTHERS

When that poor man
Or that dirty man
Or that man of different race
Or that man of different status

When that man comes in
Why don’t you try offering him what you wish to receive?

Why don’t you give him mercy?
Why don’t you show him love?
Why don’t you treat him as you wish to be treated?

THAT IS WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU
AND THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO FOR OTHERS!

IN SHORT:
START LIVING LIKE JESUS!

Favoritism is morally wrong, but it’s also legally wrong
And it nothing like Christ.

If you want to claim to be a follower of Jesus, then by all means
• Live like He lived.
• Walk like He walked.
• Speak like He spoke.
• Love like He loved.
• Be merciful like He was merciful.

“mercy triumphs over judgment”