The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of 1John. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 9:30am each Sunday Morning for the next few weeks.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…
The gift of GRACE. Eph 2:8-9.
The gift of the INSPIRED word. 2Tim 3:15-17.
The gift of FRUITFUL seasons. Acts 14:15-17.
The gift of earthly TREASURE. Mat 7:11.to Give & to share. Eph 4:28.
The Gift of SALVATION. Acts 2:38; Rom 6:23.
The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
1:15a when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
NO more fellowship with God.Isa 59:2; Rom 6:23
1:15b sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
The bible gives INSTRUCTION in righteousness. 2Tim 3:16-17; 2Pet 2:21.
The bible teaches SALVATION.2Tim 3:15; Rom 3:23.
The bible gives the way ESCAPE the pollution of the world.
1Cor 10:13; 2Pet 2:20-21; Heb 2:1-3.
The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matt 16:13)
Their answers reveal that, even during the time of Jesus, folks didn’t fully understand who He is.
You may think that folks today know who Jesus is, but they also have varying descriptions of Him. They know of ANOTHER JESUS.
“For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive ANOTHER spirit, which ye have not received, or ANOTHER gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:4. emph mine seb).
Peter gave the inspired answer; “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This answer did not come from human hearts, it is divine.
Let’s be ready to answer the question, WHO IS JESUS?
JESUS is…THE JUDGE. People say rightly that Jesus didn’t come to judge the world (John 12:47), but what they miss is that He didn’t come to judge AT THAT TIME. He came to bring salvation to the world through His sacrifice. Now that He reigns in Heaven, one day He will JUDGE the world and He will JUDGE it through His word.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2Cor 5:10; John 12:48).
JESUS is… THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF THE GODHEAD. No man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). To do so would to be death (Ex 33:20). However, Jesus came to earth in human form, He is IMMANUEL, God with us. This opens for us a world of comfort and excitement. Job longed for someone who was qualified to both stand on earth and in Heaven to mediate between God and man. Jesus is the EXPRESS IMAGE OF THE GODHEAD (cf. Job 9:32-33)
“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;” “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col 1:19; 2;9)
JESUS is… THE SON OF GOD. When Jesus said that His Father is God, the Jews understood this to mean that Jesus was claiming to be God (John 5:17-18). They understood it well. As the Son of God, He is God, and He has all authority on earth and in Heaven (Matt 28:18).
“And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11; cf. Ps 2:7; Mat 3:17; Mar 9:7).
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb 1:1-2)
JESUS is… AN UNDERSTANDING & SYMPATHETIC SAVIOR. Because Jesus is God, and that He came to earth and suffered, He UNDERSTANDS us experientially. It’s so comforting to know we serve the God who was tempted and suffered in all points just as we suffer (even more so). No world religious figure compares to Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb 2:18)
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15-16)
JESUS is… THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. Lastly, and most importantly, Jesus is our SAVIOR. Without a Savior, we are dead in our sins (Eph 2:1). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Everyone needs a Savior, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). No one will be lost because they haven’t heard of or don’t know Jesus; we will be lost because of our sin (2Thess 1:8-9).
Jesus is the Savior to all who will believe and obey Him. “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb 5:9). He will present us to God, “unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister” (Col 1:22-23);
To know Him is to love Him is to obey Him. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous”
(1John 5:2-3).
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14).
Oh, how wonderful it is to know the Lord. Let us be ready to help others who know another Jesus to know, to love, and to serve THE LORD.
The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
Expect 10x the TROUBLE. (John 16:33; Rom 8)
Expect 10x the RESISTANCE from others.(John 15:18; 2Tim 3:12)
We need to INCREASE our efforts. (2Peter 1:5-11)
To avoid being down & pessimistic, we need 10x the positive ATTITUDE. (1Pet 3:15)
We also need to…
LOVE what we do, the reason why we do it and Who we do it for. (1Cor 13)
We need to… SURROUND ourselves with people that lift us up. (Heb 10:24-25)
The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
Click here for an OUTLINE & links to each chapter of the Book of James.
INTRODUCTION: The Franklin and Juniper church of Christ begins an overview study of the book of James. If you live in the Borger area, We invite you to join us at 6:30pm each Wednesday night for the next few weeks.
Faith is ACTION based on the information. James 2:14-24 “justified by works and not by faith only.”
Faith is INSISTENT on standing firm. Hebrews 11:24-25
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; [25] Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
Faith is Believing and TRUSTING in the results from keeping God’s word. Colossians 2:12. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
Faith is HOPE that the Lord will reward those that keep His word.
Hebrews 11:1, 6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Faith is listed among the 9 spiritual gifts early saints could receive during the writing of the New Testament (1Cor 12:8-9; 13:2; Matt 17:20).
These several senses above all combine to mean FAITH. Where there is no word of God there can be no faith in God. This is an unquestioned teaching of God’s word. (See also John 20:30-31; Rom 10:17: Eph 3:1-4) If therefore, God says nothing concerning a given course, there can be no faith. Since we are to walk by faith, it follows that in any matter whatsoever in which we are not directed by the word of God, we are neither walking by faith nor pleasing God.
To walk by FAITH is to act upon God’s revealed word, the faith, and not by opinion. If people are seekers of God, they will seek His will before acting, rather than acting and hoping God will sanctify the actions.
One man said it this way about a particular religious action he had taken. “I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. I just do my best and ask God for mercy.” If you don’t know if it’s right, then DON’T DO IT. There’s a principle that speaks directly to this; “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom 14:23).
Let’s state it another way. God accepts no gratuitous service in matters to be rendered exclusively to Him. Man possesses an undeniable right to exercise his own judgment in the management of his personal affairs, as long as he does not violate any principles of moral correctness or righteousness. Man is guided in his personal life by God’s moral law and is given liberty to make individual choices under generic authority live, prosper and enjoy (1Thess 4:1-12; 1Tim 6:17; 3John 2).
However, In the service to be rendered exclusively to God, He has legislated. He has ordained the worship to be rendered to Him, and human wisdom must neither add to, take from, nor in any way modify what he has prescribed, otherwise those who do so are walking by their own judgment, and not by faith. Let’s review a few examples…
Water Baptism has been commanded by Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 8:35-36; 22:16; 1Pet 3:21). Who are we to alter it or even hint that one can be saved without it? Note the urgency of Baptism in the book of Acts. “And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33).
Adoration in vocal song (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16). Who are we to do what God has commanded not by introducing instrumental music? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
The Lord’s Supper is given to be observed by the assembled local church (Matt 26:26-30; Luke 22:15-20; Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1Cor 11:17-34). Who are we to move it to a digital venue, or a cruise ship vacation, or to any other place of convenience where there is no local church assembled? The idea that any group of Christians is a church is false. (see Matt 18:16, a distinction is made between a 2-3 individuals and the church)
We are commanded to Keep the faith “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2Tim 4:7), and to Keep God’s commands (1John 5:3). Who are we to tell anyone that they may be saved without obedience to the faith, or that they can never fall from grace? “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Heb 12:15).
“By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name” (Rom 1:5).
We must walk by FAITH, not by the sight of our own opinions.
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)
One cannot be walking by faith in Christ while offering strange worship God commanded us not. How do we know what God wants? We can answer that question if we will learn how God communicates. He gives DIRECT commands & statements, He gives EXAMPLES, and He IMPLIES things from which we may infer. He also expects us to respect when He is SILENT on a matter.
Last week we looked at the first 2 ways to discover what God wants,
Direct commands & statements.
Approved Examples.
Today we will look at 2 more,
Implications & Necessary Inferences.
Silence, when God gives no command.
Since we’re not to ADD nor TAKE AWAY from His word, we need to understand how He communicates.
One of the ways we communicate is by implying something and we infer from it. Here’s a simple example. When our parents gave us $20 to go to the store to buy bread and milk, it is necessarily inferred that they want the change brought back and we’re not to spend the rest of the money on candy & video games. A lesson my older brother learned quickly.
We all communicate this way. God does too. In Acts 10, Peter saw a vision Acts 10:12, “Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.” The Lord told him to rise, kill, and eat.
After Peter’s refusal because they were unclean, the Lord said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” Peter would eventually understand the implication, that God had included gentiles as candidates for the gospel. Peter made a necessary inference based on what the Lord had implied through the vision, the events that followed, and His command to preach the gospel to every nation. (Read Acts 10-11; Mark 16:15-16).
Another example of necessary inference is in Acts 8:35-36. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” All that we read is that Philip preached Jesus, and the Eunuch concludes baptism is commanded. We Necessarily Infer that baptism is included in the preaching of Jesus.
Without a command from God, we do not make any inferences about what God wants.
IV) God commands us not (no command). Silence is not permissive.
This is an answer to the objection, “it doesn’t say not to.” In regard to service rendered to God, human wisdom must not do what God has FORBIDDEN, OMIT what He’s commanded, nor add EXTRA which He has not commanded. To do otherwise is to walk by our own judgment, and not by faith.
Here are several examples which show that where there is no command there is no permission. GOD GAVE NO COMMAND.
Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Deut 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
Deut 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
Jer 7:22 For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
Jer 29:23 Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.
Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Acts 15:24 Because we have knowledge that some who went from us have been troubling you with their words, putting your souls in doubt; to whom we gave no such order; (BBE). KJV. we gave no such commandment:
In two other instances we find the same lesson.
2Sam 7:1-7. David’s desire to build a temple. God asks him where He ever asked for it. 2Sa 7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
Heb 7:11-14 In explaining the Priesthood of Christ, the writer points out that God never spoke anything about Priests from Judah.
Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
When you say, “God never said not to.” I reply, “God doesn’t need to tell you not to do something when He’s told you specifically what He wants. Where did He ever give the command for it?” If it’s a good enough explanation for God, it’s a good principle for us to use today.
Men are not divided over what the Bible says but what it doesn’t say. We must respect His Silence.
Borger church of Christ @ Franklin & Juniper 