FOR YOU

Praise The Lord for this day for it is He who made it.
Amen.

To all who read my blog whether it be out of offense, defense or hope, I pray that what God has called me to do is helping to make your life better by understanding God's unconditional love for you.

For those who read this in hope I want you to know that you will not and you cannot be defeated or devoured in Christ Jesus.
Not on my watch.

The enemy is not more genius than the greater one who lives on the inside of the born again man or woman.

I get up early and pray not merely for myself or to boast or say that you are a mess if you don't do what I do.
I do what the Lord called me to do for you that you would not be stripped of your faith and confidence in the blood of Jesus Christ.

We overcome by the blood of Jesus and our testimony.
The Lord has given us a testimony.
I am constantly looking deeper at the Father and His Word to serve you and not my self with these words.

I will not say anything that will defer the hope of any man because it makes the heart sick.
Jesus came to set the captives free and He lives in me, not to write with eloquence and have you build my Monticello only to hold you captive as a hypocrite.

But to share with you what the Lord has shown me by His Word and Spirit, and I know that it will bless you.

I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Names sake.

If you recall I said that we would be looking at the book of James?

So this day we are going to look at how James reflects the goodness and mercy of our God.

The gospels as a whole are a big picture of our Father and His Kingdom.
James teaches as his Lord our Saviour did, in metaphors, examples and in truth.

He walked with Jesus, so when I say that he is the brother of Jesus it's not to rank him as being greater than any of the other Apostles, heavens no.

James himself didn't do that.
That would be like saying that a Greek scholar who has traveled the world and obtained a renown reputation is greater than say, a Bible School teacher in a small country town who has simply taught from the gospels, Christ crucified.

God is not partial and Christ is not either, if you are setting people free in His Name, He is pleased.

This is exactly what this chapter is teaching us about the Father that He is not partial.
If he was Saul would have never been saved on the road to Damascus, that was mercy and grace.

I have been lead to begin in James chapter 2:24 which says,

...that man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

STAND BACK AND LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE

What does that mean?
What is that there for?
To be rightly divided.

We are going to go to the place in James 2:14 where he asks,

What use is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?
Can that faith save him?

What use is it if a man makes a confession or gives a command, can that alone save him?
People are doing that everyday and nothing is happening.

The word (save) is used and the word profit is also used, and it's asking can your believing that God is, save or profit you?

The word profit is also to provide.
Christ is what has been provided, He is the mustard seed that lives in us that gives us the ability to speak to a mountain and cast it into the sea.

Jesus Christ is the blessing of Abraham.
Jesus is the work that has been given.
God didn't simply call us righteous He sent righteousness to us to cleanse us of all sin.

The promise is that all of our sins are forgiven In Christ Jesus.

Let's look at verse James 2:15, 16
If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
and one of you says to them, " Go in peace, be warmed, and be filled," and yet you do not
(give them what is necessary) for their body, what use is that?

This is so much bigger than a food bank or a clothing ministry.
Those things are needed don't twist what I'm saying, look deeper.

What good would it have been for God to merely command us to be righteous when we knew no righteousness?
There is none righteous.

But He sent righteousness, He who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God.

We couldn't be clothed in righteousness except God gave the clothes.
Amen.

These are commands when you tell someone :
Go in peace.
Be warmed.
Be filled.

Be healed.
Come out!
Be baptized.

Be baptized in what?
In The Name of The Father , The Son and The Holy Spirit.

How is it that Jesus could say to a woman, "Daughter, thy faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." and she would get up and go and be whole of her plague?

This woman heard of the promise that was given to Abraham and recognized that Jesus is it, He is that promised blessing, and that is why she pressed in behind to get to Him while everyone else was pressing "to do" something else.

She was in the crowd while the Lord preached, Fear not, only believe.
Study Luke 7:40-50
It's Jesus teaching the Pharisees about the sin of partiality.
Here we see another woman and this is the real work right here that saves.

The work that is mixed with men's faith and delivers, heals and sets free.
She didn't believe in her offering.
Abraham didn't believe in his offering.

They were looking at the promise fulfilled.

Isaac was promised to Abraham.
Jesus was promised to us.
And the LORD GAVE!
John 3:16

Luke 7:48
The Lord told her, Thy sins are forgiven.

If you study how the men behaved at the dinner party you will see that they believed that they deserved The Lord's company.
That if He was coming to town that He would definitely be stopping by to see them.

But the woman got down on her knees and kissed The Lord's feet.
because faith is not in anything that she could do for the Lord, it was what He was bringing to her.

The LORD gave the command that said, Thy faith has saved you, go in peace.

You believe that God is and that He is able, The word says that demons know of God's ability so that is no big deal.
The question is are you willing to recognize that regardless of anything that you may do or may not do, because Christ was given to you and you received Him that your sins are forgiven?

This is the work.
The Word says in James that Mercy Triumphs over judgment.

Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph In what we have done?
No you don't triumph in your own name or deeds.
You hold no merit apart from the living God and His grace.
Your integrity is a joke, that's why you need Jesus.

Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph In His Name!

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
This is our God.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins (had no integrity or character to speak of, hadn't served or done anything right) has quickened us together with Christ, ( by Grace are you saved;)

And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places In Christ Jesus:
( He made us to sit in heavenly places, what man or deed can make us what God has made us?)
That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches ( Bigger than a jet, any business or mansion, automobile or status acquired through labour) of His Grace in His kindness towards us through works?

No not through works.
That in the ages to come He might show The exceeding riches of His Grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by Grace(The forgiveness of sins) are you saved through faith; and that not of your selves: it is the gift of God;
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

So who can boast then?
The man who pays his bills on time can boast.
The man who does what he says he will do can boast.
No he cannot.

Not if he professes to be the seed of Abraham he can't.
Blessed is the man who his sins are forgiven says the Word.

Compare James 2:1-10 to Luke 7:40-50

LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE

YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN THIS IS HOW RIGHTEOUSNESS IS RECKONED TO YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE BELIEVED THAT.

John 6:29
Jesus answered and said to them,
This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent.

Without this work every other work is a mess.

The insult lies in that men believe that folks are too stupid to understand this and then follow God.
They fear that if blessing is not dependant on their own character and or labour
Men won't build their barns.

POINT TO CHRIST.

Oh The LORD is not done yet.
This is just James chapter 2.

LOVE Y'ALL
PREACH CHRIST.