The Kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus Christ who is Immanuel and fulfills all of the Old Testament, therefore, only in Jesus are we also fulfilled. This week we see how God prophesied and fulfilled His promises in Jesus’s childhood.
Fake vs. Real Righteousness…Which one do you have? Welcome to a weekly small group study through the Book of Romans led by Pastor Cory. It’s important that we understand completely what Romans is teaching us, and how we should apply it to our lives. Are we really living our lives the way God instructs, or have we unknowingly taken a wrong turn. This book in the Bible helps us stay on track. It helps us to know if our Righteousness is Real….or Fake. The weekly small group lesson is taught live each Sunday afternoon at 4pm at FBC Bettendorf.
Fake vs. Real Righteousness…Which one do you have? Welcome to a weekly small group study through the Book of Romans led by Pastor Cory. It’s important that we understand completely what Romans is teaching us, and how we should apply it to our lives. Are we really living our lives the way God instructs, or have we unknowingly taken a wrong turn. This book in the Bible helps us stay on track. It helps us to know if our Righteousness is Real….or Fake. The weekly small group lesson is taught live each Sunday afternoon at 4pm at FBC Bettendorf.
This week we see how all of the Old Testament prophesied the return of the King, God Himself, in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all of God’s plan, and in Jesus Christ God’s people also find their greatest fulfillment.
Fake vs. Real Righteousness…Which one do you have? Welcome to a weekly small group study through the Book of Romans led by Pastor Cory. It’s important that we understand completely what Romans is teaching us, and how we should apply it to our lives. Are we really living our lives the way God instructs, or have we unknowingly taken a wrong turn. This book in the Bible helps us stay on track. It helps us to know if our Righteousness is Real….or Fake. The weekly small group lesson is taught live each Sunday afternoon at 4pm at FBC Bettendorf.
“Turn To the Lord!” James 5:19-20 Purpose: to save souls and cover a multitude of sins, to live the truth 1. I Am My Brother’s Keeper! James 5:19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. See Galatians 6:1 Galatians 6:1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. “Save his soul . . .” See James 1:21 James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. “Cover a multitude of sins . . .” See Proverbs 10:12 Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions. “The truth is not just intellectual facts, but a way of life.” 2. Binding and Loosing On Earth and In Heaven In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus said: “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
“Earnest Prayer” James 5:13-18 Purpose: to submit all of our lives to God in prayer Introduction: Luke 11:1-13 1. What’s the Right Time to Pray? James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. When suffering When cheerful When sick And what is the proximate cause of the sick man’s healing? Prayer, and oil, laying on of hands, the Lord! 2. Pray Like Your Church Depends on It! James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Confession of sin to one another Pray for one another 3. Pray Like Elijah! James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. A heroes’ nature, or just a normal guy who believes in God? How long to pray for something? How many times is prayer referred to in James 5:13-18? Conclusion: Luke 18:1-8
“The Integrity of Your Yes” James 5:12 Purpose: to speak so as to reflect the God Who has called us 1. Is your “Yes,” actually Yes? James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. Why should we not swear or take oaths? So that we will not fall under judgment. See Leviticus 19:12; Matthew 5:33-7 2. You’re Calling Upon Authority! Are You True to Your Name? Matthew 5:33-37 What do you think happens when we differentiate between “oaths” and other forms of communication? As a Christian, you and I have taken on the name of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore we are reflecting His name when we speak. The integrity with which we speak and act (James 2:12) is a direct reflection of Christ in us. This is why our word should be as solid as yes or no, simply true and clear. This is also why our word, if false, brings judgment, because it is not in accordance with the God after Whom we are called.
“God is in Control, Be Patient!” James 5:7-11 Purpose: Waiting for the Lord Jesus with enduring faith. 1. Be Patient James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. “Like the farmer, the Christian bets his or her life on the outcome of a long wait. Like the farmer, reducing the tension (by compromise or attack) would be self-destructive. The Christian must place all hope in a condition outside his or her control, waiting for the coming of the King.” 2. Get Ready! Someone’s Coming! James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. We must not complain against one another! “So that you” What? See James 4:11 and Matthew 7:1-2 The very act of criticizing or complaining is disobedience. 3. Our Examples to Follow Include the Prophets and Job James 5:10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. An example to follow! Think of Job for instance . . . The ones who endure are the ones that we count as blessed, see James 1:2-4, 12 See Matthew 10:22, 24:13; Psalm 103:8; Hebrews 12:1-2! We have a promise in God that far outweighs anything this world can throw at us! Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary – James, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989), 118.
Believer’s Baptism: The Sign of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ Purpose: Because baptism is the sign of knowing Jesus Christ and His people, the purpose of the message today is to call born-again believers to practice believer’s baptism as Jesus commanded. Matthew 28:18-20 Acts 2:36-43 Matthew 3:13-17 1. Your Belief in Jesus Christ is Primary Ephesians 2:8-10 Galatians 2:20 John 3:1-8 Colossians 2:9-14 Romans 6:1-13 2. Your Baptism according to Scripture is Necessary 1. Baptism is universal and presumed in the NT according to the command of Jesus 2. Baptism is always shown in Scripture to be done to a believer in Jesus Christ 3. Baptism is only described as being done “in” water, the biblical mode is immersion 3. Your Baptism Testifies to Two New Realities 1. Baptism is Personal, Romans 6 2. Baptism is Corporate, 1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27-28 4. Only One Baptism Ephesians 4:4-7 Hebrews 9:11-12 Acts 2:36-43
“Wisdom for the Rich” James 5:1-6 Purpose: Rightly seeing the place of wealth in Christian lives 1. Warning to the “Rich” James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Warning to the “Rich” (v. 1) Davids calls them the non-Christians; perhaps the rich Jews? See Isaiah 13:6; 15:1-6 What good is money? (v. 2) See Matthew 6:19-24! Witnesses in court against me!? (v. 3) This imagery is of the day of final judgment in a courtroom and the rust of your treasures will “witness against you.” This is “wasted treasure.” You not only can’t take it with you, but you shouldn’t even try! See also Proverbs 18:11; 28:6; 28:20 2. Putting Wealth in its Place James 5:4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. First, notice the injustice of the greedy! God hears! (v. 4) Similar teachings in Matthew 9:37, 10:10; Mark 1:20; and Luke 10:2, 15:17 Second, notice the emptiness of living luxuriously for self at the expense of others (v. 5) Remember the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 6:19-31? Third, “But it is all perfectly legal!” (v. 6) Really? What do you think is God’s purpose for His provision in your life?
“My Plans, or God’s Plans for Me?” James 4:13-17 Purpose: To leverage our lives for God’s will 1. A Circumstance! James 4:13 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.” What are your plans? Have you prayed about that? Have you sought God’s will? 2. The Reality! James 4:14 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. Do you know what you life will be like tomorrow? What is your life described as? See Psalm 39:5-6 and Proverbs 27:1 3. If the Lord Wills, a Way of Life! James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. Leveraging everything for the will of God! How then should we think? Three possible answers: 1. In God’s Will, Yes! Our plans must me IN God’s will (v. 15) 2. Sinful Boasting, No! We must not boast (v. 16) Why? Because any plan confidently made outside God’s will discerned through prayer and meditation is not just foolish, it’s sin, literally “evil” Boasting “robs” God of His Sovereignty 3. Do the right thing then! (v. 17) If we know the right thing to do and do not do it, we sin! See Luke 6:20-26
“Only One Lawgiver, God” James 4:11-12 Purpose: we must live according to the law of Christian love 1. If You’re Not the Lawgiver or Judge, Then You Shouldn’t Speak James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? If we speak against a brother, we are judges of the law This is a mentality as if we were the ones who were lawgivers, but we are not Psalm 15:1-3 O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; Proverbs 10:18b And he who spreads slander is a fool. 2. Only God is the Lawgiver and Judge, And He Commanded Us to Love James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? We should think of the “law” in James as the fulfillment of the law of Love James 2:8″“13 encourages fulfilling of the royal law to love your neighbor, and challenges believers to “speak and act” as those judged by the law of liberty Notice similar language of Jesus in Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Who we should fear correlates with who the one Lawgiver and Judge is. Psalm 75:6 For not from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the desert comes exaltation; 7 But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another. Jesus taught the same concept in Luke 14:7-11 Living according to the Law of Love Rom. 13:8-12; John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 12:10; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2; 1 Th. 3:12; 4:9; 5:13; 2 Th. 1:3; Heb. 10:24; 1 Pet. 1:22; 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23: 4:7, 11; 2 John 5