Superficial Discipleship (James 1:22-27)

Kootenai Church

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Good morning to you Welcome to adult

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Sunday school at Kootenai Community Church. I Want you to take out your smartphone and open to the weather app and take a screenshot

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Because you're going to want to look at that again in January When it is so cold that makes your teeth hurt.

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Okay, just remember Just remember it does get warm again

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Conversely it will get cold again Such as life Let's open with a word of prayer father.

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Thank you for Time spent together this morning. We do appreciate the air -conditioning Lord We don't take it for granted that we have been entrusted with such riches such material prosperity that allows us

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To be here in a comfortable very comfortable room on a very hot day And we pray for our brothers and sisters throughout the world who gather

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On this day as well to worship the Lord Jesus Christ whose Circumstances are far more disadvantaged than ours

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And Lord, we recognize that it is not our advantage or disadvantage that enables us to worship

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But it is the Spirit who within inclines our hearts to glorify Christ And so as we open the word together this morning, that's our desire and our hope that Christ would be glorified

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For it's in his name we pray. Amen All right. Well, I want to speak to you this morning about the topic of disciple making and its importance the topic of disciple making and its importance we are well acquainted with what is commonly called the

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Great Commission and in Particularly as it appears in the gospel of Matthew in the 28th chapter

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Where in verses 19 and 20 Jesus not only commands his disciples to go forth and make additional

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Disciples, but he also commands the method that they are to adopt in that process

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He is they are told the imperative is to make disciples. That's the verb That's the command the means occurs by the way of the two participles of baptizing and teaching

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Those are the means by which disciples are made and that's the way they are to pursue the task

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He says all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations

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Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo

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I am with you always even to the end of the age This commission is repeated in one form or another in the remaining three

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Gospels as well as the book of Acts for example Mark records in Mark 16 and verse 15 and He that is

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Jesus said to them go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation or Luke 24 and beginning in verse 44 now he that is

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Jesus said to them These are my words Which I spoke to you while I was still with you

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That all things which are written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the

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Psalms must be fulfilled Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and he said to them thus it is written that the

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Christ Would suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name

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To all the nations beginning from Jerusalem you are witnesses of these things

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John records in John 20 and beginning in verse 19 so when it was evening on that day the first day of the week and when the doors were shut where the

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Disciples were for fear of the Jews Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them peace be with you

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And when he had said this he showed them both his hands and his side the disciples and rejoiced when they saw the

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Lord So Jesus said to them again. Peace be with you as the Father has sent me

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I also send you and when he had said this he breathed on them and said to them receive the

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Holy Spirit If you forgive the sins of any their sins have been forgiven them if you retain the sins of any they have been retained and Finally in Acts chapter 1 in verse 8

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Or Jesus says now pick it up in the end of verse 6 They're saying to him is at this time you're restoring the kingdom to Israel.

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He said to them It's not for you to know the times or the epics which the Father has fixed by his own authority verse 8

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But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem And in all

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Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest parts of the earth So we both understand and readily agree to the importance of the

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Great Commission That is I don't think in question among any true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our mandate.

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In fact, it Frequently appears in one form or another in the various mission statements of most churches something to do with the

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Great Commission in terms of evangelism and disciple making but but All we had agreed to that as it's stated there.

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There's all kinds of nagging questions that arise in Our minds with regard to the topic of making disciples for example

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What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus what does it mean?

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Or another how would you describe a disciple? How would you describe a disciple?

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Are there any distinguishing marks of a disciple of Jesus? And if so, what are they?

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Could there be a false disciple? How would they differ from a true one a little more personally have you ever been discipled?

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Have you ever been discipled? What did that mean?

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What did that mean? Have you ever had anyone ask you will you disciple me?

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Will you disciple me? What what is it they're really asking of you What are they asking?

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Have you ever personally made a disciple or? Helped to make a disciple.

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How did you do it? How did you do it? Has anyone ever taught you how to make a disciple?

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Has anyone ever modeled it for you? These are just a few of the questions

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That if we stop and as I say we readily agree to the Great Commission We're going to all over make disciples that we agree to that, but when we bore down and start to Go a little deeper on it.

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There are all kinds of questions that arise in our minds with regard to this topic Okay, open your

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Bibles up to James chapter 1 I Did not lose my mind and think you know what in the world

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I thought we were in James we are We are we're still in James. We are going to finish the first chapter of James this morning

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We're looking specifically at verses 22 to 27 this morning in James chapter 1 verses 22 to 27 my title for this morning is superficial discipleship

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My title this morning is superficial discipleship and in the text

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I see two startling statements that reveal a Superficial disciple two startling statements really that reveal a superficial

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Disciple let's read And for the sake of having a running start at it.

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I'm just going to pick it up in verse 19 Although we will focus on 22 to 27 this morning.

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So beginning in 19 this, you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear

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Slow to speak and slow to anger But the anger of God does not achieve the righteousness of God anger of man.

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Sorry Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all the remains of wickedness in humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls

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But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves

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For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer He is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror for once he has looked at himself and gone away

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He has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was But the one who looks intently at the perfect law the law of liberty and abides by it

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Not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer This man will be blessed in what he does

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If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue that man's

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Excuse me, but yeah missed it If anyone verse 26 if anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart

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There we go. This man's religion is worthless Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our

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God and Father is this To visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world

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As I've said two startling statements really arise from this text in 22 to 27 and the first is this

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It's in verses 22 to 25 and the verse in the statement is simply this Bible knowledge

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Does not equal being a disciple Bible knowledge does not equal being a disciple

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Now accurate systematic and Comprehensive Bible teaching is essential

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To making strong disciples, right baptizing and teaching so there is no point of quibble with that at all, but As James points out here our

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Bible knowledge must result in action our Bible knowledge must

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Result in action. It must change us It must change us and if it doesn't it is more than a waste

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James says it's a spiritually damning delusion let that sink in for a moment a

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Head full of Bible knowledge that doesn't transition from here to here and out through here is a spiritually damning delusion now notice

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In verse 22 the word hearers prove yourself Doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves is an interesting word this word hearers

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It only occurs twice in the New Testament here And I will turn you here over to Romans chapter 2 and verse 13 same word appears there

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Romans 2 13 And Paul writes

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Okay for those who would like to put James and Paul in opposition to each other notice this this is what Paul writes

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Or it is not the hearers of the law who are just Before God but the doers of the law will be justified.

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That's the same word Same word translated hearers and in both places.

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It's it's classical Greek meaning I think is what we should understand

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It means classically in classical Greek the idea of an attentive listening an attentive listening

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Like those who would attend lectures or lectures by by philosophers and public speakers

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That's the idea behind the word here It's those who would go to a to a public lecture put on by a philosopher or some

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Teacher of some sorts and they would be sitting there listening for the purpose of intellectual enjoyment

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So it would be to hear a lecture for the purpose of the intellectual stimulation that comes from a well -delivered lecture my

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Grandfather who was not a Christian and there's no disputing about such things himself enjoyed certain preachers listening to certain preachers even gospel preachers because they were excellent orators and He enjoyed the intellectual side of the oration

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And that's I think what James is speaking about here Now, let me let me illustrate this a little bit

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Early in my career I was a commercial banker for a number of years actually almost two decades and As part of that I had the privilege of visiting many many different companies that we were going to lend money to or we're lending money to and As part of that I would be able to observe their operations.

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I loved it it was like one of the best parts of the job was to be able to go to all these various companies all over the

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United States and and see behind the scenes as to how things were produced One of the most fascinating by the way was a bladder for a football.

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Just saying it's kind of a cool thing to see made But in that capacity I saw lots of interesting things lots of interesting things but one that I will never forget is

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The job of a coffee taster at Chasen Sanborn Company, you remember

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Chasen Sanborn? I know The younger generation you don't know right because you pay $5 for your coffee, but for Chasen Sanborn people

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Okay, we know that name. That's an old American household name

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They had a man on their payroll And this is going back 40 years

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We'll meet $50 ,000 a year 40 years ago He was on their payroll and his job was to take samples of the coffee beans that were coming in grind them up and make a pot of coffee from them and Then he would take and pour a cup of coffee and he would take a sip

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He would sip it when it was hot. He would sip it when it was lukewarm, and he would sip it when it was cold

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And he wouldn't swallow he would take a sip He'd swirl it around his mouth and he would spit it out

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And then he would write numbers down and then he would use water to cleanse his Palate and he would go the lukewarm and the same thing and then the cold

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And they would pay this man $50 ,000 a year to judge the quality of the coffee beans based on his sampling of it his palate

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Now why do I tell you that other than it's fascinating But I tell you that because that's the way a lot of Bible Believing people teach

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Bible teaching or regard Bible teaching It's like a sampler coffee sampler they've become professional sermon tasters a

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Professional sermon Taster what's that professional sermon taster? What's that look like? Well, it's like always on the internet

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Searching out new preachers Listening to this greatest sermon this one that one

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Some keep make copious notes We have extensive note -taking involvement in all of this, but here's what distinguishes the professional sermon taster

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Very little of what they hear translates into attitudinal nor behavioral change

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Okay, that's where it shows up Very little of what they hear makes an attitudinal or behavioral change in them and we are all susceptible to this sort of thing

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To becoming like the philosophers of Athens you remember them in Athens 1721 where we say they used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new professional sermon tasters

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Jesus James's older brother He said in Luke 11 28 blessed are those who hear the

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Word of God And do you know how the rest of that goes and keep it and observe it?

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Blessed are those who hear the Word of God And do something with it

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Not blessed are those whose heads are full of Bible knowledge Not blessed are those whose heads are full of Bible knowledge now

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How? Does this apply to you and I this morning in this place?

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We are in a church that emphasizes Bible teaching and Bible knowledge as essential to discipleship and rightly so and rightly so But the strong emphasis

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Can become twisted Into our in our minds into assuming that someone's a true disciple because they have a head full of Bible knowledge

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If a head full of Bible knowledge yet, the knowledge seems to make a very little practical effect in their day -to -day life

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It doesn't change their attitudes. It doesn't change their behaviors doesn't change the way they interact with others

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But boy they They know their Bible that one knows their Bible and James says that's a delusion

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James says that is a delusion and we are deluded if we think hearing and knowing is enough

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We're deluded to question for you how many sermons or Bible lessons does a person need in a week?

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Hmm Everything about that how many How many sermons how many

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Bible lessons does a person need in a week how many

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Can they process? How many can they process if we're not careful we can inadvertently inadvertently train ourselves to equate listening with growing and Maturity with knowledge

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But listening with growing and maturity with knowledge It's a it's a subtle thing

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When it is happening What James tells us this is real danger real danger

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Hearing a Bible lesson or even reading the scriptures makes us accountable for what we hear

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It makes us accountable Now we can help each other here and we need to help each other here we are a body of Christ and We have this role to play with each other

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And we can help each other as we spend time together

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Talking about what we have learned talking about it Exhorting each other to action

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Praying for one another and the spirits enablement within them to Activate the truth.

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They've heard Verse 23 for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer

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He is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror For once he has looked at himself and gone away.

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He has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was fascinating illustration

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James James is illustrating the foolishness of hearing but not applying the

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Word of God by the Example of a man who gets up in the morning staggers in in our case into the bathroom

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Rubs his eyes looks in the mirror turns and walks away. It doesn't bother to comb his hair Now I am guilty of that on occasion.

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I Walk in and I look at this old man in the mirror and I wonder where in the world he come from Turn and walk away because whoa

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Fascinating huh for James to just take this simple thing in life Why do we look in the mirror? We look in the mirror in order to make adjustments improvements

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It's true. Then it's true now This imagery that the

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James is producing here of the mirror is used to speak of moral self -reflection

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That's the point. It's a moral self -reflection that he's talking about and Spiritually, it's both foolish and dangerous to to gear to gaze into the

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Word of God to see our sin and then fail to take appropriate action verse 25, but one who looks intently at The perfect law the law of Liberty and abides by it

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Not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer This man shall be blessed in what he does

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Notice the contrast the contrast is the man who gives the scripture only fleeting attention and the man who literally bends over and peers into the gospel

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Spoken of here is the perfect law of Liberty and he peers into it until it makes such an impression upon his soul that it transforms his behavior

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James is emphasizing for us the the critical need to make practical application of the scriptures

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Which results in spiritual growth that produces behavioral change, that's the linkage

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And we're to keep gazing until it does its work. It takes time

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It takes time to invest an energy in applying the sermon

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We're going to hear an amazing sermon here in from this pulpit. We do every week

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We're going to hear the Word of God carefully systematically comprehensively

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Exposited for us explained to us applied even along the way and Yet we have a role to play.

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We have such an important role to play Once he has cooked the meal and delivered it put it on the table on time and hot in a sense his role has ended and Ours begins

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What are we going to do with it? And how are we going to apply it and are we going to push into it?

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Or is it going to be like so many other meals we have right we we eat it It tastes good and you know without being crass about all of this although Jesus himself speaks of such things

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Not that many hours later. It's gone. How do you personally let's try to bore down.

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How do we personally how do you? Personally make application of the sermon you're about to hear.

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How will you do that? Well? Okay, let me back up.

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Let me let me let me run a few of these out for you And then we'll even keep going down layers. Okay, so how do you personally do it?

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That's the question How are you gonna personally do it because you need to? You must dad

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How will you do it in your home? How will you do it in your home because you have a responsibility in your home to do it friends?

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How will you do it in your relationships? How will it happen in your?

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Relationships and perhaps if you are involved in some kind of a small group.

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How will it happen there? How will it happen there? All right?

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Here's some suggestions for you James is practical. I'll try to be practical to First think about it

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Think about it Think about it while it's being preached Follow along turn to the references

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Follow the argument Think about it, and then think about it again after you leave

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It's not a one -and -done think about it Talk about it on Sunday Talk to somebody about it on Sunday somebody spouse children friend call a friend

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Talk to somebody about it Reflect on it during the week that follows

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Reflect on it. What does it mean to reflect on it means to to kind of think about it again Look for one big idea

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Just look for one big idea and reflect on that now rehearse its main points

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Jim will give you the main points And you got plenty of time because he'll take a three -point sermon and turn it into five sermons, so you got plenty of time

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Rehearse the main points throughout the week with a friend dads with your children

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Son what did you get from the sermon this morning? That's a good question. What what do you remember?

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What was your takeaway? What what impacted you what thought occurred to you as you heard and then resolve to make change

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Resolve to make change based on what you've heard right because if we're in if none of us are perfect There's no such a shocking right

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We were glorified. We wouldn't be here So the fact that we're here says we're not glorified which means that we've still got room to grow

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That means that there's something for us in every sermon every time the Word of God is open. There's something there for you and Resolve to make change in accordance to what you hear and then pray for the spirits enablement

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To make the word effectual. We're not talking about moral

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Endeavor in terms of Sucking yourself up by your boot pulling yourself up by your bootstraps

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We're talking about the spirits use of his word in us to change us into ever increasingly into the likeness of Christ But change we must

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Change we must so invest the time and energy now

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If Bible knowledge Is not the mark of discipleship

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How about church involvement how about church involvement is that the mark of a disciple

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Nope Nope again, another area where that which is a good thing and I would argue a necessary thing.

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He was 10, right? You're saying not the assembly of yourselves together a Necessary thing and yet it too can become a shallow substitute for true discipleship

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I mean these are startling statements that James is giving us here and there were two of them, right? The first was simply this the

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Bible knowledge doesn't equal being a disciple the second one here It is the second one in verses 26 to 27 is simply this church involvement does not equal being a disciple

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Church involvement does not equal being a disciple if Anyone thinks himself to be religious

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James says and yet does not bridle his tongue But deceives his own heart this man's religion is worthless

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This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and father to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself

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Unstained by the world It is easy for a person to appear to be a

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Christian if one doesn't make too close an examination The opportunity for deception both self deception and deception of others is very much real and if and if if Merely looking like a

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Christian is the measurement That we proclaim someone a disciple then we run the risk of both deceiving ourselves and them

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I mean, it doesn't take very long for a person to become socialized to the

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Christian faith Not long to develop but they come in without the background, but it doesn't take them very long

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They're attracted why because hey, you know what? We're nice people Or loving reach out to them befriend them all kinds of sociological reasons why people attach themselves

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It doesn't take long for them to develop a working knowledge of the lingo. Oh Yeah, okay.

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So let's see grace. I got to use grace a lot and blessed. Oh, that's a good one blessed Oh that applies to a million things.

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I'm blessed. You're blessed. I'll bless you Like maybe a dozen words

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You just kind of salt them into the dialogue and yeah Clearly the love that guy loves

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Christ Well, he talks about being blessed So we can adopt the lingo we can learn the proper behavior in terms of attendance

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And and dress style, right? singing reading Even putting money in the plate.

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Those things are all easily Adopted by someone without a without a real change inside And for all kinds of sociological reasons and and I'm sad to say but I think it's in large extent our evangelical culture is filled with people who exhibit these externals and yet They are spiritually dead inside spiritually dead in verses 26 and 27

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James is Elaborating on what it means to be a doer of the word really

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Because why that's the mark of a true disciple That's the mark and in verses 26 and 27

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I see three areas of a person's life where James says true discipleship will show up True discipleship will show up and the first in verse 26.

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Is this self -control? Self -control verse 26 if anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue

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But deceives his own heart. This man's religion is worthless it is

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Jesus who tells us that the mouth speaks out of the overflow of the Heart right the part that can't be seen is revealed in the part that can and be heard

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Thus for James a man who can't bridle his tongue is deceived as to his own spiritual condition

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His religious ritual is worthless That's shocking

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As a shocking statement, we can't bridle our tongue then

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Our religious worth our rituals are worthless. He says now a horse needs a bit and bridle

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Right a horse needs a Brit a bit and a bridle to bring it under control. And so You and I Need to bring the tongue under control

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Paul says in Ephesians 4 in verse 29 This is a good verse by the way moms for you kids to memorize

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Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth But a but only such a words is good for edification

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According to the need of the moment so that it may give grace to those who hear our speech should give grace

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Now In in studying this passage I found General agreement among the commentators.

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I think they're right here that the reference to the tongue is a reference to the slanderous tongue

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That's the tongue that needs to be brought under control the slanderous tongue that is so frequent among those who named

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Christ The slanderous tongue and that is critical it is critical because Judgmental speech tears apart the unity of the body of Christ This is no small sin

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And it has no place among the people of God does it and so we must rigorously pray and practice

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Spiritual self -control so that our mouths don't run loose on us

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Keep a bit and a bridle on it Proverbs 26 verse 22 says the words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels and they go down into the innermost parts of the body

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The picture is like the sugar left from a plate full of doughnuts Everybody's taking the doughnut and there's like crumbs and sugar left on the plate.

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And if you haven't done it, it's what you want to do Okay, you want to lick up every last crumb and that's the the idea of the dainty morsel

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And what the sage is telling us here He's observing that the words of the whisperer change a person and they change them because they don't just dig in the ears

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They go down in to the inner part and they don't change them for the better beloved there's no greater proving ground for self -control than the tongue and James is going to return to this topic in chapter 3 in spades two and a half ounces of trouble

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I've already named that message for you In chapter 3 two and a half ounces of trouble

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Self -control the first test of a true disciple here second 27 verse 27 compassion

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Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this? Okay, here it is gonna be spelled out for you

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Visit orphans and widows in their distress Compassion of the widows and the orphans were the most helpless people most helpless social class in the first century

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Society lacked any form of social safety nets. There were none If you were orphaned if you were a widow you were in a very vulnerable place very vulnerable

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Often they lacked the barest essentials such as food and clothing And and there were many cases completely dependent upon the compassion of other people to meet their needs

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The Old Testament is replete with this don't understand what thought what the lies at the heart of the

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Mosaic law this For sure, that's part of it. And since they were unable to give back to the church in any material way

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Therefore caring for them serves as a test a litmus test to determine the level of self

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Sacrifice and Christ -like love that the local body will display Jesus said in John 13 35, they will know we are disciples by the way, we love one another love

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Works it is care for the disadvantage to downtrodden

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That lies very much in the heart of the followers of Christ. I won't

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I'll give them to you You look them up on your own. I don't have time to give them to you Galatians 2 10 Look these verses up.

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See if I'm not right Galatians 2 10 Paul speaks specifically about this Acts chapter 11 verses 27 to 30 another 2nd

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Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 2 entire chapters Speak exactly of these things

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This was one of the defining marks of what it meant to be a follower of Christ the disciple of the

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Lord Jesus Christ a change heart Now in our modern society orphans and widows do not live generally speaking the same level of distress as those in the first century that is a true statement and It is possible that a local fellowship does not have a widow or an orphan that is at that level of distress

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That is possible. I think we can

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More widely apply these truths in our own context here

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To those who are in our midst who are in need those in our midst who are in need people here at Kootenai Who are being squeezed?

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by illness or family problems or fractured relationships or Unemployment just to name a few

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What is our personal response to these things? What's our personal obligation to these things? I am super challenged by this

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I am super challenged by this why? Because time is our most precious commodity.

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It is certainly mine I'm not getting any younger an involvement with people who are in need is a time

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Consuming activity How many times have you thought to yourself man?

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I would love to get together with such -and -such a person I'd love to have them come and have dinner together or whatever, but I don't have any time

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I don't have time Time is a finite commodity for sure

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And investing it wisely for the glory of Christ is a thoughtful process or should be

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This clearly brings up the whole discussion of hospitality and some of those other things You've heard me talk about these things because why well because the scripture talks about them what we do with our time

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Speaks about our levels of compassion Easy to give someone a hundred bucks for most

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It's hard to invest ten hours Self -control is the first area of true discipleship

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James talks of second verse 27 is holiness Keep one self unstained by the world.

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Sorry. I said second. That's third My mistake first self -control second was compassion third was holiness verse 27.

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Keep oneself unstained by the world, right? Because why well because all the religious activity in the world won't amount to a hill of beans

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If we do not by the Spirit's power aggressively and persistently Resist the corrupting influence of the world, which is an open rebellion against our

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God Three times

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Jesus uses the phrase you are not of this world John 1519 you were of the world the world

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Excuse me, if you were of the world the world would love its own but because you are not of this world

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I chose you out of the world because of this world hates you again 1714 1716 you are not of this world.

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He says we are called to be in the world, but not of the world

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In the world, but not on the world, what does it mean to be not of this world?

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It means not we do not embrace its values We do not embrace the world's values nor do we emulate its behaviors, nor do we participate in its evil deeds

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We do not emulate we do not embrace and we do not participate. That's what it means Now we will not and we do not grow in purity by Abandoning society and huddling together in a

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Christian enclave As tempting as it might be Huddled together in our

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Christian fortress shout out the gospel over the wall to any passerby who might come too close and Call it evangelism.

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Yes, we must avoid Worldly entertainments that promote and glorify sin.

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Yes, it shouldn't even be a question mark. It shouldn't be it's not negotiable We should not give our money and our time to that which is openly

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But and sinfully spitting in the face of Christ I Don't even know why we would have to talk about such things but Cultural isolationism is not a biblical response

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In the world not of the world be holy For I am holy

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Set apart Set apart. All right.

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I gotta put a tie. I gotta put a bow around this thing. So here we go I'm gonna try big idea discipleship cannot occur outside of a regular and spiritually robust relationship with another person

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Okay, big idea discipleship Cannot occur outside of a regular and spiritually robust relationship with another person.

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You're looking for the big idea Here's a big idea There's no substitute for time spent with other people no substitutes

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But the time has to have a spiritual purpose and that's where we often get tripped up. We're good at spending time

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We're not as good at spending spiritually profitable time we need to prayerfully speak the truths of Christianity into the lives of others and They into ours the one in others in 2010 14 years ago 2010.

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I Encountered a book that I read that really

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Resonated with a lot of these things that have been going on in my mind at that time including working through James's letter to the believers

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And this book is called the trellis and the vine Charles in the vine.

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I'm not a big guy on like how -to books How to do Christian ministry kind of books by make an exception with this one make exception

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I've Actually had the privilege to spend a fair amount of time with the author of the book even though he's from Australia Asked me someday.

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I'll tell you the story But one concept that comes through in this book that was so helpful

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To me it was the concept of moving people to the right moving people to the right in other words

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Disciple making is a group activity. It's a team sport. It takes a village

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Why? Because it was only one Who had everything necessary to make a full disciple of the

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Lord Jesus Christ and that was? the Lord Jesus Christ for all the rest of us we have glaring and sometimes not so glaring but learning to the

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Lord shortcomings and Jesus said in Luke chapter 6 and verse 40 and this verse has resonated in my mind for more than 30 years

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It's this a disciple is not above his teacher But everyone when he has been fully trained will be just like his teacher in other words

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You are going to be like the person who makes the disciple of you Therefore if I am the only disciple maker in your life all of my path

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Pathologies are going to be nicely transferred to you That's not so good so disciple making is a team activity

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Is that it's a community event And moving somebody to the right is the is the idea that for a period of time and again

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We live in a highly mobile world and so there likely only be a period of time

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We're involved in somebody's life with the kind of life -on -life Relationship that discipleship requires that we will be able to inch them along That's all we need to do just leave somebody

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Walking closer to Christ now after having spent time with you than they were before when when you catch that concept that means everybody

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Can be a disciple maker everybody It's a bigger telling another bigger where to find bread.

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That's all it takes. You don't have to go to seminary You don't have to have a gigantic head full of Bible knowledge.

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Is it good to know the Bible you bet it is and It's something we strive for for sure, but you don't have to arrive before you can be employed in the task of disciple making

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How do we do it I'm running long, but here they are. It's getting a rattle them off to you. Here's some ideas for you a one -to -one scripture reading

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Get together with somebody find a time and read the Bible together with them Just read the

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Bible together with them talk a little bit about what it is that you read Hey, you know, we just read this passage together.

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What's what sticks out to you from this? What what how is the Lord? Communicating, you know an impression upon you of an area where you are struggling and need to change.

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How can I pray for you? Courage one another in that simple But the Word of God through to God through the

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Word of God do his work One -to -one Bible reading you can read good books with other people Have a book club

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Get together with a few or just another couple get a good solid book any good solid books talk to the elders

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They'll recommend good solid books for you and read it together. Talk about it as you read it. You could form a sermon application group a

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Group of people who get together every week at some point after the sermon has been preached and talk about how do we apply?

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This sermon to our lives. Oh, there's many more

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That's what a preacher says when he runs out of material there's much more I could say Actually there is

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But for the sake of time, huh? That's enough who'd have thought I suppose Father May your

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Holy Spirit impress upon each and every one of us what truth is necessary From your word with regard to this topic in the here and the now

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Every one of us has something to learn Something to change some way to draw closer to Christ To seek to become a full functioning disciple who makes disciples

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Lord It is our hearts desire and yet I know That for many of my brothers and sisters here even in this place this morning.

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They have never never experienced the joy of disciple making

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May that change for them even beginning today. We ask for the glory of Christ.