james 2 - hard life, good god - ptr alvin gutierrez - 4pm afternoon service

JAMES 1:2-8

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothersand sisters, whenever you facetrials of many kinds, 3 because youknow that the testing of your faithproduces perseverance.

JAMES 1:2-84 Let perseverance finish its workso that you may be mature andcomplete, not lacking anything.5 If any of you lacks wisdom, youshould ask God, who givesgenerously to all without findingfault, and it will be given to you.

JAMES 1:2-86 But when you ask, you mustbelieve and not doubt, becausethe one who doubts is like a waveof the sea, blown and tossed bythe wind. 7 That person should notexpect to receive anything fromthe Lord.

JAMES 1:2-88 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all theydo.

HARD LIFE,

GOOD GOD

TRIALS and

WISDOM

LIFE is sometimes

wonderful,

Sometimes

PAINFUL

six

misconcepcions

about trials

(1) He is punishing you.

Jesus went to the cross, took uponhimself all of the sin of all of hispeople, and suffered and died intheir place for their sin.

We reap what we sow, we make badchoices, we live with theimplications and complications ofour own folly, but God neverpunishes his people for their sin.He’s already punished Jesus.

(2) He is failing you.

God is not without power and God isnot without a plan. And when you’rehurting, you need to grow intrusting, and that’s what faith is.

(3) He has abandoned you.

He sends the Holy Spirit so thepresence and the power of God isavailable to us through the person ofthe Holy Spirit.

(4) He is acting evil

toward you.

Not everything on the earth is asGod intends. There is much thatbreaks his heart in addition tobreaking his law.

When life is hard, it is not saying thatGod will make it all better for you.

(5) He will make it all

better for you.

God doesn’t promise that thingswill change, God promises that youcan change.

(6) He will answer every

question for you.

When life is hard, it does not saythat God will answer every questionfor you.

It doesn’t say that when life is hard,God is punishing you, God is failingyou, God has abandoned you, God isacting evil toward you, God is goingto fix it all for you, or that Godneeds to give an answer to you.

THREE TRUTHS

about trials

JAMES 1:2-42 Consider it pure joy, my brothers andsisters, whenever you face trials ofmany kinds, 3 because you know thatthe testing of your faith producesperseverance. 4 Let perseverance finishits work so that you may be mature andcomplete, not lacking anything.

(1) You are going to

get trials.

JOHN 16:33

33 “I have told you these things,so that in me you may havepeace. In this world you will havetrouble. But take heart! I haveovercome the world.”

(2) It’s a test and an

opportunity.

It depends on how good you are attaking the test. Life is filled withtests, spiritual tests. A trial is a test.

It’s an opportunity. It’s anopportunity to prove who you are inChrist, to see who you’re becomingin Christ.

(3) You will get trials of

various kinds.

Don’t

compare

trials

STEADFASTNESS

AND MATURITY

What this means is you’ll becomemore godly, you’ll become morelike Jesus. The trial will be used totransform you. Steadfastnessproduces maturity.

You can become more steadfastand mature. You can rejoice, not inthe circumstance but in the Lord,who will change you through thecircumstance to become more likeJesus.

GOD IS

ALWAYS GOOD

JAMES 1:5-85 If any of you lacks wisdom, youshould ask God, who givesgenerously to all without findingfault, and it will be given to you.6 But when you ask, you mustbelieve and not doubt,

JAMES 1:5-8because the one who doubts islike a wave of the sea, blown andtossed by the wind. 7 That personshould not expect to receiveanything from the Lord. 8 Such aperson is double-minded andunstable in all they do.

There’s a difference between wisdom and knowledge.

KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

Knowing the truth Knowing what to do with it

Theoretical Practical

Fills your mind Guides your life

Truthful Useful

Provides information Provides transformation

KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

Tells you what to believe Tells you how to behave

You can have even without wisdom

You cannot have without knowledge

Ask god for

wisdom

He give it

generously

Our life is filled with self-help.Anyway, you need more than self-help. You need God’s help.

Faith gives

you wisdom

To make the plan

Faith is not opposite of planning.Faith gives you wisdom to makethe plan.

WHERE IS

WISDOM?

(1) In Scriptures

(2) In Prayer

(3) In Holy Spirit

(4) In General Revelation

(5) In Teachers

“The Mentor Myth.”

There’s one person, and if you listento them, you’ll learn everything youneed to know. Not true.

(6) In Experience

(7) In Experts

There’s oneperson, and if youlisten to them,you’ll learneverything youneed to know.Not true.

“Sweet Darkness”

When your eyes are tiredthe world is tired also.

When your vision has goneno part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the darkwhere the night has eyes

to recognize its own.

There you can be sureyou are not beyond love.

“Sweet Darkness”

The dark will be your wombtonight.

The night will give you a horizonfurther than you can see.

You must learn one thing.The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worldsexcept the one to which you belong.

“Sweet Darkness”

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweetconfinement of your aloneness

to learn

anything or anyonethat does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

-- David Whytefrom The House of Belonging

©1996 Many Rivers Press

2 CORINTHIANS 4:1717 For our light and momentarytroubles are achieving for us aneternal glory that far outweighsthem all. 18 So we fix our eyesnot on what is seen, but onwhat is unseen, since what isseen is temporary, but what isunseen is eternal.

2 CHRONICLES 20:1212 Our God, will you not judgethem? For we have no power toface this vast army that isattacking us. We do not knowwhat to do, but our eyes areon you.”

FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL

Presented By:

Pastor Alvin GutierrezFCC Main

March 13, 2016Afternoon Service

Website: http://faithworkschristianchurch.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Faithworks-Christian-Church-Global-292363410916567/