THE POWER OF THE TONGUE – James 3:1-12

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I’m going to describe a particular part of our bodies in the first person, as if I’m that part of our bodies. Here goes:

I may be the strongest muscle in your body. I am considered to be the strongest muscle for my size. I have been known to lift over 80 times my weight, but don’t put me to the test! I am busy during the day and all through the night, and I never get tired. I may be kind of rough on the surface, but I’m smooth underneath. I’m about 4 inches long and I am the only muscle in your body that is only connected to your body at one end. I can heal myself faster than any other part of your body. Thanks to your nose and my buds, I’m learning to develop a taste for things. I used to come out of my den more often for people to see me, but now I only come out when you need help eating an ice cream cone, or when the doctor says, “open your mouth, stick out your ‘tongue’ and say ahhhh”! As you’ve probably guessed, I’m the muscle that would be speaking this message aloud to you right now.

As strong as our tongues are physically, they boast of even greater power for good and for evil both emotionally, socially, and spiritually. I think it’s significant that, right after the apostle James writes about evidences of genuine, saving faith, he talks about the tongue.

James has already explained two characteristics of the true, maturing Christian. First, in chapter 1, James says that the true Christian is patient in times of trouble. Secondly, in chapter two, James says that the true Christian practices the truth. Here in chapter 3, James says that the third characteristic of a true believer is that he has power over his tongue.

James now goes for the jugular vein of the Christian life – the problem of the tongue. No other section of the Bible speaks with greater authority and impact on this subject than does James.

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ put this problem of the tongue into perspective. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, 18-19: “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man. . . . the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man”. We need to realize that the heart and the tongue are directly associated with each other. Through its every word, the tongue broadcasts the condition of the heart.

In order to impress on us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequences of our words, James gives us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, the rudder, fire, a dangerous animal, a fountain and a fig tree. You can put these six pictures into three categories that reveal the three powers of the tongue.

I. THE POWER TO DIRECT: THE BIT AND THE RUDDER (3:1-4)

James begins chapter 3 by saying, “Let not many of you become teachers.” The Greek word “didaskaloi” is used in the New Testament epistles to refer to teachers of God’s Word, rather than the alternate meaning of “masters” or “rulers” when referring to the Jewish rabbi’s. James is not discouraging Christians from using their gifts and abilities to benefit the local congregations. He is warning against the misuse of that privilege to gain power and prestige. Those motives and desires are not the marks of a true teacher of God’s Word. A teacher’s words are not to be used to exalt himself but to accurately explain the Word of God and exalt the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In verses 3-5 James uses the examples of the bit and rudder because each of them, like the tongue, is small yet powerful. The bit is a very small item that goes into the horse’s mouth in order to overcome the power and the wild nature of the horse. However, it is not the bit that controls the entire horse. It is the experienced rider, using the bit and bridle in the proper ways, that controls the horse. In the same way, the rudder on a ship is a very small item in comparison to the ship, and it has to overcome the forces of the wind and the waves and currents. However, it is not the rudder that controls the entire ship. It is the experienced pilot or helmsman, who operates the rudder in the correct ways, that controls the ship.

Unless the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord of our lives, we are not going to be able to keep our tongues from evil, nor will we always be able to say the right thing at the right time. There are evil forces inside us and in the world around us that are fighting for control of our hearts and our speech. King David had a temper, as we all do, and he prays in Psalm 141, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to do any evil thing.”

II. THE POWER TO DESTROY: THE FIRE AND THE DANGEROUS ANIMAL (3:5-8)

In verses 5-8, James compares the tongue to a fire and to a dangerous animal. A fire spreads very quickly and is very destructive, causing damage that can’t be easily repaired, if it can be repaired at all. In one town where I pastored, a neighbor came to the door yelling, “Help, my kitchen is on fire!” I grabbed the portable fire extinguisher out of my car and ran to her house, where I saw smoke coming out of the back door. As I entered, I had to duck down because of the smoke. I could see the fire on the wall above the stove and sprayed it with fire-retardent powder until the extinguisher was empty. When I went outside to get some fresh air I could hear the fire truck coming. The firemen went inside, sprayed the wall area and checked the ceiling and attic. Afterward, they asked us to come inside to see the damage. The wooden spice rack above the stove had caught on fire and the fire chief pointed to a couple of places where the flames had burned through the drywall and had charred the wood. He said that if I hadn’t been there and put the fire out when I did, it would have gone up the two-by-fours and into the attic and roof by the time they arrived just moments later. It would have become a house fire rather than just a kitchen fire, and the house would probably have been damaged beyond repair. That was a scary lesson about the swiftness and destructiveness of fire!

James tells us that the tongue can have a similar effect when we use it to gossip about or slander others. Evangelist Billy Graham used the following illustration to point out the destructive and lasting effect that our words can have: There is a story of a woman in England who came to her vicar with a troubled conscience. The vicar knew her to be an habitual gossip – she had maligned nearly everyone in the village. “How can I make amends?” she pleaded. The vicar said “If you want to make peace with your conscience, take a bag of goose feathers and drop one on the porch of each one you have slandered.” When she had done so, she came back to the vicar and said, “Is that all?” “No,” said the wise old minister, “you must go now and gather up every feather and bring them all back to me.” After a long time, the woman returned without a single feather. “The wind has blown them all away,” she said. “My good woman,” said the vicar, “so it is with gossip. Unkind words are easily dropped, but we can never take them back again.” (Day-By-Day with Billy Graham, Sept. 17)

Fire spreads, and the more fuel you add to that fire, the faster it will spread and the farther it will spread. Time does not erase or correct the effects of the sins of the tongue. God wants us to confess these sins and let Him take control of our speech, but the fires we have already kindled and fueled will continue to spread, just like the goose feathers being blown away by the wind. Realize also that those fires we kindle will also burn us. People who have been hurt by us will no longer trust us, and the word gets around, and our credibility is gone. There are many lonely people today who are suffering the consequences of their false and malicious words, and yet refuse to change or admit their guilt.

A dangerous animal also has the power to destroy. Some are dangerous because of their strong, swift and powerful bodies, many of them equipped with claws and sharp teeth or tusks. If you’ve ever been to Lion Country or to a Wildlife Safari, you know what I am saying. Yet James states that man has been able to tame some of these animals from every species. But, he adds in verse 8: “No one can tame the tongue”. Sounds discouraging, doesn’t it? Don’t lose hope! I believe that what the Lord Jesus said about riches and salvation in Matthew 19:26 is also true about the tongue: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Other animals are dangerous because they are poisonous. My first overseas duty in the Air Force was at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in northern Thailand. A group of us new arrivals were in an orientation briefing. One of the warnings we were given was to beware of a particular snake called the krait snake. The bite of a krait snake has little or no pain, and can cause a false reassurance to the victim. It feels like the bite of an ant or a mosquito. The person may not even realize that he’s been bitten. There is very minimum evidence of local swelling. Symptoms include a tightening of the facial muscles within one to two hours, inability of the person to see or talk, and death from respiratory failure (or suffocation) within 4-5 hours. The krait was called the “two-step snake” because its venom was so powerful and acted so quickly.

Our tongues can also have a poisoning effect on others, and on ourselves as well. Have you ever injected a malicious remark or comment into a conversation in the hope that it might spread to the person you wanted to hurt? Have you ever yelled at someone in a moment of anger, or shouted profanity? Maybe you were on the receiving end of those kinds of outbursts, How did it make you feel? A.T. Robinson, in his book, “Studies in the Epistle of James”, makes this observation about the defiling effect of our words: “It is now known that angry words cause the glands of the body to discharge a dangerous poison that affects the stomach, the heart, the brain.” King David, in Psalm 140:3, had these words to say about evil and wicked men: “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips.”

III. THE POWER TO DELIGHT: THE FOUNTAIN AND THE FIG TREE (James 3:9-12)

In verse 9 James recognizes that the tongue is good at times. It is not altogether evil. But it is inconsistent. He uses the illustrations of the fountain, the fig tree, and salt water to get his point across.

Have you ever had your mouth washed out with soap? It isn’t a pleasant experience! An older kid in our neighborhood was accustomed to using filthy language, and whenever my younger brother and I were around him we tried to imitate him. One day my mother overheard our conversation. Since I was the older son, and should have been a good example to my brother, I received the cleansing treatment first. I could hear my younger brother snickering as I was going through the ordeal. Then it was his turn! He didn’t think it was funny anymore! The soap she used had a pleasant smell to it but it did not taste good! As you probably aready know, it wasn’t my mouth and tongue that were the real source of the problem. It was my heart. But having my mouth washed out with soap gave me a change of heart!

My mother got the point across and the lesson was learned. As I think of my mother, I cannot remember her ever cursing, swearing or using filthy language. I’m thankful to God and to her that the use of such language has never become a habit for me. However, there are other kinds of language that we all have been guilty of and struggle with. Evangelist Billy Graham says, “You can use your tongue to slander, to gripe, to scold, to nag, and to quarrel, or you can bring it under the control of God’s Spirit and make it an instrument of blessing and praise.”

In verses 10-12, James uses three illustrations: the fountain, the fig and olive trees, and salt water, to show the nature of things. Water is not sweet and bitter at the same time from the same fountain, is it? A fig tree cannot produce olives, can it? Nor can an olive tree produce figs. And salt water cannot, of itself, produce fresh water, can it? Nature is consistent because God made it that way.

Man was also created to reflect the image of God (Genesis 1:27). James says earlier in his letter: “No one can tame the tongue”; no one, that is, except God. You may remember in Exodus 15:23-26 that the people of Israel came to Marah on their journey to the Promised Land. The word “Marah” means “bitter”, and the waters there were bitter. They couldn’t drink the waters, and they couldn’t change the condition of the waters, but God did. When God told them to cast a particular tree into the water, the waters became sweet and drinkable.

If your speech is not reflecting the character of God, and other areas of your life are contrary to God’s will, you may want to make sure that your relationship to God is genuine, and that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of your life. The theme of the book of James is: “genuine faith produces genuine works”. If there is any question in your mind, God wants to enter your life if you will turn from your sinful ways and let Him come in and take control of your mind, emotions and will. Then your words will become words of praise and thanksgiving to God and to others; words that heal, comfort and encourage; words that are beautiful to hear; words that give glory to God.

THE RIGHT KIND OF FAITH – James 2:14-26

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INTRODUCTION:

Someone has said that faith is not “believing in spite of the evidence, but obeying in spite of the consequences”. When we read Hebrews 11, we meet men and women who acted upon God’s Word, no matter what the price they had to pay. Faith is not some kind of feeling that we work up, but a confidence that God’s Word is true, and that obeying it will bring God’s blessing. What kind of faith really saves a person? Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved? How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith? James answers these questions by explaining to us that there are three kinds of faith, and only one of them is true saving faith.

I. DEAD FAITH (verses 14-17)

In verses 14-17, James talks about dead faith. People with dead faith substitute words for actions. They know all the right words to say during times of prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the Bible, but their actions do not measure up to their talk.

James gives a simple illustration: a poor believer came into a fellowship without proper clothing and in need of food. The person with dead faith noticed the visitor and saw his needs, but he did not do anything to meet those needs. All he did was say a few pious words: “Go in peace, be warm and be filled.” But the visitor went out just as hungry and unclothed as he came in!

In verse 14, James is saying, “Can that kind of faith save him?” What kind? The kind of faith that is never seen in practical works. The answer is “No”! Any declaration of faith that does not result in a changed life and good works is a false declaration. What kind of faith is dead faith? In verse 17, James says “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” True saving faith can never be by itself. It always brings life, and life produces good works.

In a Decision Magazine article, missionary Patrick Harris tells of his son David, who was brain-damaged. When David was very young and his family was home on furlough, many people told them, “We are praying for David.” Patrick and his wife were grateful. But one woman said, “I have Wednesday off. Give me the privilege of taking David out that day to relieve you.” Harris said, “That was what was needed – not only prayer but practical help!” An important part of praying is a willingness to be part of the answer.

II. DEMONIC FAITH (verses 18-19)

Only God can see “faith” in the heart of a person. People see our faith only by our works. Faith is like a seed planted in the ground. It is hidden from view, but if it is a living seed it will soon manifest itself by pushing its stalk up through the soil for all to see. Out of the war comes a story of faith in action. A godly chaplain in the army found a dying soldier on the battlefield, and being anxious about his salvation, he took out his Bible and said, “Shall I read a portion of Scripture for you?” But the soldier replied, “No sir, I am thirsty and need a drink of water.” At the risk of his own life, amid bursting shells, the chaplain went in search of water, and having found some, gave it to the wounded man. Then he asked again, “Shall I read some Scripture to you?” But the man replied, “No thank you, I am so cold. I am almost freezing,” The chaplain removed his own coat and wrapped it around about him, and once more asked with shivering and chattering teeth, “Now may I read to you?” Again the reply was, “No sir, I am too uncomfortable on this rough ground.” The chaplain gently lifted him up and placed him across his knees with his head in his arms and once more asked the same question. “Yes sir”, he replied, “for if what you are going to read can make a man willing to risk his own life like this to ease a dying stranger, I want to hear about it!” And there on the battlefield, he was told about Jesus who died that he might live. This is the gospel in action! This is what the world is looking for today!

Then James says in verse 19, “the demons also believe and shudder.” It comes as a shock to many people that demons have faith! What do they believe? For one thing, they believe in the existence of God. They are not atheists. They also believe in the deity of Christ. Whenever they met Christ when He was on this earth, they bore witness that He was the Son of God. They also believe in the existence of a place of punishment. They live there! Not only that, but they also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge, and they submit to the power of His Word. Yet, knowing all that, they still rebelled against God and were condemned to hell.

In verse 19, the word “shudder” or “tremble” meant to be “rough on the surface”, “to bristle”. It has the idea of making your hair stand on end and goosebumps to appear. That’s the way the demons respond to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ!

III. GENUINE FAITH (verses 20-26)

Dead faith touches only the mind; demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions, but genuine faith also involves the will. The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth, the emotions desire the truth, and the will acts upon the truth. Faith and works go together.

Pastor John MacArthur says it very clearly in his sermon entitled “Living Faith”. Preaching about James 2:21-26, Pastor MacArthur says: “There is a faith in God, there is a faith in Christ, there is a belief of Scripture, there is a belief of the gospel that does not save from hell. . . . It is possible to believe in God, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to even believe that what Christ did He actually did, to affirm the cross and the resurrection and never be delivered from sin and never be given eternal life. This is what James would call ‘dead faith’.” That’s what he called it in verse 17, and now he says it again in verse 20 and again in verse 26.

In verse 20, James responds to the unwillingness of his readers to recognize the connection between faith and works. He says: “You foolish fellow”. The Greek word can be translated “empty” in the sense that they are “without spiritual life”. James goes on to say, “Can’t you see that faith without works is useless”? The Greek word “arge” means “barren”, “unproductive”. Faith that fails to produce genuine works motivated by willing obedience from the heart is a dead faith. It demonstrates that it has never been alive because there has been no external evidence sufficient to remove any doubt. Righteous behavior is an inevitable result of genuine faith.

In verses 21-25 James proves his point by giving two examples of true living faith from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab, described as “our father” and “the harlot”. The evidence for Abraham’s genuine faith was his willing obedience to God’s command to offer up his own son, Isaac, on the altar. Because of his obedience, Galatians, chapter 3, teaches that Abraham is the spiritual father of all true believers..

James 2:22 reads, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.” The Berkeley version says it this way: “You see how his faith cooperated with his works and how faith reached its supreme expression through his works.” Abraham’s works made his faith complete. In verse 23 Abraham is called “the friend of God”

On the opposite end of the social and moral spectrum, James now chooses Rahab as an example of true living faith. Even though Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute, James says “Likewise also”, telling us that the illustration of Rahab teaches the same lesson about faith as the illustration of Abraham: “God saves, not because of one’s righteousness, but because of one’s faith.” Remember: only God can actually see our faith. We see genuine saving faith only by works. Rahab demonstrated her saving faith by her words to the spies in Joshua 2 saying, “… the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below”, and by her willingness to hide the spies at the risk of her own life and the lives of her family members. Joshua 6:25 and Matthew 1:5 tell us how God blessed Rahab. She was grafted into the nation of Israel, became the wife of Salmon, and was an ancestor in the line of David and the Lord Jesus Christ. She is also mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a woman of faith.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION:

In verse 25, the apostle James states his conclusion one more time: “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” Do you have living faith? Do you have saving faith? Is it evident to those around you? Is it evident to you? You may have been baptized, you may have made a public or private profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may be attending a church at the present time. You may be in the choir or teaching a Sunday School Class. You may be on the deacon or elder board. You could even be a pastor and not have a saving faith that manifests itself in a deepening walk with Jesus Christ and increasing joy in serving Him and obeying his Word. I’m not saying this to point the finger at anyone or embarrass anyone. I just want you to be sure if there might be any doubt. Good works are the proof that Jesus Christ is living and reigning in your life. As Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “And why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

May our faith be genuine and evident to the world around us, and may we enjoy the privilege of being children of God through faith evidenced by works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

OVERCOMING PREJUDICE – James 2:1-13

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INTRODUCTION:

It is impossible to judge another person’s motives. And yet we have a tendency to do just that. We also cannot determine the heart of a person in a first-time encounter. Initial impressions may not always be right because we all have some built-in prejudices.

I. THE PRINCIPLE (Verse 1)

In James 2:1, James is saying, “Faith in God and partiality are incompatible.” They don’t go together. The term “favoritism”‘ in verse 1 comes from two Greek words, combined to mean “to receive by face”, and has the thought of accepting or welcoming someone by face value alone. The term, “favoritism”, is found in only three other New Testament passages, and in each instance, it is made clear that God does not respect faces. He judges by the heart. The Lord Jesus wasn’t prejudiced. In Luke 14:12 it says of Jesus, “And He went on to say to the one who had invited Him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment comes to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ ” Even Jesus’ enemies knew that Jesus was not prejudiced. In Matthew 22:16 the Herodians said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one, for you are not partial to any.” Prejudice can run so deep that it sometimes takes a tragedy to make one see how wrong it is to discriminate on the basis of physical differences. An article in the newspaper several years ago told of a truck driver who learned the hard way how bigoted he was. He had no use for blacks – until one saved his life. It was shortly after l a.m. when his tanker truck flipped over and burst into flames. A week later he lay in his hospital bed crying openly, for he was looking into the face of a black man who had used his own coat and his bare hands to smother the flames of what had been a human torch. Needless to say, this was one white man who, with tears of appreciation, learned to see through skin color.

II. THE PRINCIPLE ILLUSTRATED (verses 2-4)

In verse 2, James is talking about two people: one rich and the other poor. The words “gold ring” literally mean “gold-fingered”, suggesting that this man was wearing many gold rings. Also, his clothes were made of the finest materials. The usher was faced with a choice: where should he seat these two people. Matthew 23:6 helps us better understand this situation by telling us that there were “chief seats” in the synagogues, The Pharisees loved these chief seats which must have been located down in front because they could enter the synagogue in their elegant robes and march toward the front, calling attention to themselves. Faced with this decision, the usher based his decision on externals only. James says in verse 4 that this is discrimination, and their motives are evil. If there is one place where class distinctions should break down, it is in a place of worship. Distinctions such as age, color, money, status, rank, size, and clothing should mean nothing. Jesus said to the multitude in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

III. THE PRINCIPLE EXPLAINED (verses 5-11)

In verses 5-11, James gives three arguments why prejudice is wrong. First, prejudice is not true of God. He says in verse 5, “Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” Whether we are physically rich or poor, unless we recognize our spiritual poverty and our need for a Savior, we will never experience the riches of faith in Christ, and receive an eternal inheritance from God. Secondly, God isn’t concerned about wealth or poverty, but about the condition of a person’s soul. The people James is writing to were exalting the rich, and yet it was these rich people who were the very ones who were causing their pain and injury. Thirdly, in verses 8-11, James is saying that prejudice is sinful because it is against the Scriptures. One of the laws God gave to Moses was, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Showing partiality is a violation of that law.

Children in England used to play a game called “Saints and Sinners”. A hoop was set up at a certain distance, and the children were given ten arrows each. The object of the game was to aim them at the hoop. If anyone shot ALL of the arrows through the hoop, he was proclaimed a “saint”. If he missed just once, he was called a “sinner”. If he missed with all ten arrows, he was no greater sinner than if he missed with only one! One error was as bad as ten! That was the rule of the game. The same is true spiritually. The Lord Jesus never “missed the mark”, but kept God’s law perfectly. All others have sinned and come short of God’s standard. Therefore there is no excuse for prejudice because we are all equally sinners.

Let me share with you two stories about what has happened in the lives of two people as a result of the prejudice they experienced from Christians. A little boy named Joseph had polio. Someone finally took him to Sunday school, but the teacher neglected him. Later the young people ridiculed him and then avoided him because of his crippled condition. As a result, he dropped out of the class with a hatred for the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. He did, however, continue his studies in school. When he finally earned his doctorate from Heidelberg University, a man slipped his arm around him, saying, “Joseph, I think a lot of you; you and I could do much together. The young man responded warmly to this attention and encouragement, and in time Joseph Goebbels became the propaganda minister for that man: Adolf Hitler! Many wondered afterward what would have happened if that Sunday school teacher had shown love to this apparently unwanted individual, and had led him to the Lord. If the young people had befriended this needy person instead of ridiculing him, he might have become a minister for Christ instead of the Nazis.

Another case is a terrible incident that occurred in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. This man, who later gained world attention, says in his autobiography that in his student days he was truly interested in the Bible. Deeply touched by reading the gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert. Christianity seemed to offer the real solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. One Sunday he went to a nearby church to attend services. He decided to see the minister and ask for instruction in the way of salvation, and enlightenment on other doctrines. But when he entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused to give him a seat and suggested that he go and worship with his own people. He left and never came back. “If Christians have cast differences also”, he said to himself, “I might as well remain a Hindu”. He became one of the most famous people in the history of India and was a champion for the civil rights movement there, but he was never given the opportunity to experience the freedom of becoming a child of God because of the prejudice of a man who claimed to be a minister of Christ.

IV. THE PRINCIPLE APPLIED (verses 12-13)

One of the tests of the genuineness of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is how we treat other people. Can we pass the test? We all show prejudice at times, don’t we? Are there people you won’t talk to, or even acknowledge their presence, because of racial, social, economic, or educational factors? Are there others who treat you that way, and you are following their example?

Are we obeying the Scriptures and following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ in our treatment of others? I’m closing with a short prayer that Billy Graham offers in one of his devotionals: “Heavenly Father, fill me with that supernatural love of Jesus that enables me to reach out to the myriads of people who, in and of myself, would be impossible to love.”

Pi Sermon for Pi Approximation Day

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INTRODUCTION:

I’m betraying my age, but when I was in high school, pi was 22/7 or 3.1416, and the answers to the geometry problems were to be rounded off to two decimal places. We had our slide rules, but most of the problems had to be done “the long way”. Calculators were not allowed to be used on tests or exams. I can think of two good reasons: most of us students couldn’t afford the expensive calculators, and the teacher wanted to make sure that we knew how to “do the math”.

A lot of new technology has been invented since my high school days, but circles will always be an important part of mathematics and its application to our lives. God must like circles because He sure made a lot of them! Psalm 19:1 in the Bible says: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God”. I invite you to go to a nearby park or even take a close look at your own backyard (if you have one). I’ll bet you run out of time or give up before you count everything that is circular or spherical in its shape. Look inside your house and you will find man-made circular objects galore. Why? Symmetry, beauty, efficiency, and order, to name a few reasons.

I believe I’m correct when I say that pi is a real, irrational, transcendental, infinite, non-repeating, constant, prime number. It’s the only one of its kind. Correct me if I’m wrong.

National Geographic did an article with pictures of “almost” perfect circles in nature and in the universe. Such examples as the rings of Saturn, the pupil of the human eye, the arc of a rainbow, tissues in the cross-section of a plant stem, a ripple, “fairy circles” in the desert grasslands. I believe they show eight pictures and descriptions in all. Type “almost perfect circles in nature” in your web browser and it will direct you to the site. You’ll be amazed!

A question that is often asked: Is Pi in the Bible? Yes, it is! In the Old Testament, in First Kings chapter 7, and verses 23-26, where God gave to king Solomon the instructions for constructing the sea of cast metal. If we divide the circumference of the cast metal sea (“thirty cubits”) by its diameter (“ten cubits from brim to brim”), pi is 3. It may be pi to the “zeroeth” decimal place, but it’s still pi. Solomon’s craftsmen weren’t building a spaceship to the moon so they didn’t need “pinpoint accuracy”. Also, their measuring devices were the “cubit” (the distance from the elbow to the middle finger) and the “span” (the distance from the thumb to the little finger of a wide-open hand). So a pi of 3 was all that was needed to get the job done. I’m not a mathematician, but Roy A. Reinhold gives a picture and description of this huge sea of water and does some mathematical calculations that result in a more accurate approximation of pi. Please check it out. It’s a short and easy-to-read article. If you type “biblical math mystery solution for pi” into your web browser, it will take you directly to that site.

By the way, isn’t pi always an approximation? You can calculate pi to a million decimal places, but you still haven’t come to the exact number. There is more calculation to be done, isn’t there? Frustrating, but amazing! Recently pi was calculated to 33 trillion decimal places and there is still no end in sight!

I hope this short message has given you an opportunity to think about the myriad of applications of pi in nature, how these shapes came into being, and the One who put it all together. I hope it has also caused you to think for a moment about infinity/eternity.

Happy Pi Day [March 14] or Pi Approximation Day [July 22] to you this year, and may all your approximations be sufficient for their applications!

TRUE FREEDOM – 4th of July message

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Americans celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July as a public holiday with fireworks, barbecues, flags, and expressions of gratitude for the freedom we have as Americans. Most celebrations of national independence mark the day of “final victory” in the struggle for freedom. Perhaps it’s a mark of our American pride and boldness that we celebrate, on July 4th, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which occurred seven years before the final treaty ending the Revolutionary War on September 3, 1783. That Declaration’s adoption on July 4, 1776, burned the final bridges of England’s authority over America. The signers of this Declaration of Independence recognized that liberty could not be preserved unless this new nation recognized its dependence on God. The brave men who initiated and signed it realized that genuine freedom comes only through reliance on the Almighty. Do you consider yourself to be truly free? Whether you live in a free country or not, are you free on the inside? Are you free from guilt and fears? Are you free from the fear of death, and from the eternal consequences of your actions? Are you free from greed and other “sinful” passions that have become beyond your control? The sad thing is that the world often describes sin as the essence of freedom. “I can do what I please because it’s my life, and I am the master of my fate.” This is also what Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden when he said, in effect, “Don’t be bound by God’s command! Be free! Eat the fruit and become as God, knowing good and evil!” When Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and also gave some to Adam, and he ate it, what happened? They died! They immediately died spiritually because their fellowship with God was broken and they hid from God. Their personalities also began to decay because they began to lie and shift the blame to one another. And eventually their bodies died. They certainly weren’t the masters of their fate, were they? The Bible teaches that true freedom can only be found through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He set us free at the cost of His own life.

ILLUSTRATIONS: TWO ACTUAL RESPONSES TO ONE’S FREEDOM

A heathen girl was bought at a slave auction for a large sum of money. The Christian man who purchased her did so in order to set her free. When he came to get her the next day, she said simply, “Master, I am ready to serve you.” He replied, “While it is true that I bought you, I did so only to relieve you of the bonds of slavery.” Then, with a smile he handed the surprised girl her freedom papers. She looked at him for a moment in sheer astonishment. Then, seeing that he meant what he said, she cried out, “Am I truly free? Am I my own? May I go where I wish?” “Yes”, he said. “That’s why I bought you, so that you could be freed from the restrictions of slavery. “Sir”, she said as she fell at his feet in heartfelt devotion, “my greatest joy will be to dwell with you and go wherever you direct me.”

I’m closing with another true story that made a tremendous impression on me. A young convert on the west coast of Africa, who was saved out of the most horrible savagery, came on Christmas Day into the little chapel on the mission compound to offer her sacrifice of praise in the form of a gift of money. As a rule, the natives in that area were so poor that only a handful of vegetables was considered a generous offering. Some, in fact, could only bring a bunch of wildflowers to show their goodwill. If anyone ever managed to bring a coin worth a penny or two, it was considered as a tremendous gift. This girl of sixteen, however, drew from under her tattered outer garments a silver coin worth about a dollar! The missionary was so amazed at the amount of the offering that he refused, at first, to accept it, for he thought she must have gotten it dishonestly. In order to avoid confusion and embarrassment, he finally agreed to accept it. But at the end of the service, he called her aside to ask her where she obtained such a fortune. She explained very simply that, in order to present to the Lord Jesus Christ an offering that satisfied her own heart’s love for Him, she had gone to a neighbouring plantation and sold herself to the plantation owner as a slave to him for the rest of her life! She had, in effect, brought the whole financial equivalent of her life and laid it down in a single gift at the feet of her Savior and spiritual Liberator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This Fourth of July, may we celebrate with joy the freedoms and privileges we possess, both as citizens of this great nation and, hopefully also, as citizens of heaven. If you are not sure whether or not you are a citizen of heaven, please read the ABOUT PAGE on this blog site, and the section entitled “Question”. In John’s Gospel, chapter 8,. and verses 31 and 32, Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

THE REMOVAL AND BURIAL OF JESUS – John 19:31-42

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INTRODUCTION:

When the Lord Jesus came into this world as an infant, there were also miraculous signs that accompanied His birth. Luke 2 tells us of the angel who suddenly appeared to the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. After the angel made the announcement of the Savior’s birth, a whole multitude of angels appeared in the sky singing, “Glory to God in the highest . . . “. Then there was a star that pointed the way for the Magi from the East to find Jesus.

Jesus’ death was also followed by some amazing events. Matthew 27 tells us that immediately after Jesus said “It is finished!”, the earth shook and the rocks were split apart. Also, tombs opened up and bodies of the saints were raised and entered the holy city of Jerusalem. When the centurion who was guarding Jesus saw these things happening, he said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”. The Lord Jesus revealed His deity to a few people both at His birth and at His death.

I. REMOVAL FROM THE CROSS (verses 31-37)

As we read in verse 31, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate that the legs of those crucified should be broken so that they would soon die, and then could be taken off their crosses before the Passover Sabbath began. Breaking their legs would result in a quick death because the crucified person would no longer be able to lift himself up to exhale, and would soon die from asphyxiation.

Pilate granted their request, and the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves, but they didn’t break Jesus’ legs because they could see that He was already dead. So in verse 34 it says that “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear”. The middle of the spear’s head was a hand-breadth wide. Out of Jesus’ side flowed blood and water. It’s believed that the sword pierced the membrane surrounded the heart, and the serum with clots of blood in it was proof that Jesus had already died.

These events fulfilled two Old Testament prophesies. The first was the instructions for cooking and eating the Passover lamb. Exodus, chapter 12, says that as you eat the lamb, you are not to break any bone of it. This command not to break any of the bones of the Passover lamb is repeated in Numbers 9:12 as they celebrate this feast day each year. Secondly, the piercing of Jesus’ side fulfills the prophesy in Zechariah 12:10, which is quoted here in verse 37: “They shall look on Him whom they pierced”.

II. THE BURIAL (verses 38-42)

The Romans had made an exception by taking Jesus and the two thieves down from the cross. Normally the Romans left those who were crucified on their crosses until their flesh was eaten by birds of prey. Guards kept watch over the bodies in order to keep friends and family members from taking them away. But Pilate made an exception in this case.

Up until now, Joseph of Arimathea had been a secret believer for fear of the Jews. Now, in verse 38, he boldly comes forward to claim the Lord’s body for burial. Why did Pilate hand over the body of Jesus to Joseph? Joseph wasn’t even related to Jesus, and that was against Roman law. Perhaps it was because Pilate was convinced that Jesus wasn’t guilty.

In verse 39 Nicodemus joins Joseph, bringing with him a hundred pounds of spices. Why so great an amount of spices to prepare one man’s body for burial? That’s’ enough spices for a king’s burial! That’s exactly what they wanted to do for Jesus – give Him a king’s burial! The spices were probably in a powdered form, or a paste. They put some of the spices directly on Jesus’ body, wound strips of linen cloth around His body from His feet to His shoulders, and put more spices between each layer of cloth.

Verse 41 says that “in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb.” Matthew 27 tells us that it was Joseph’s new tomb, which he had hewn in a rock. This hill called “Golgotha”, on the edge of town was considered a God-forsaken place. No expensive tombs were constructed by the Jews in this area. Most wealthy Jews had burial places on the property where they lived. It’s very possible that when Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death, Joseph of Arimathea hurriedly bought that piece of land in the garden and hired a crew of laborers to cut that tomb in the rock so that Jesus could be buried there. There wasn’t time to take the body of Jesus very far because it was almost time to prepare for the Passover meal. Matthew 27 tells us that they rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb after they put Jesus inside, and the chief priests and Pharisees put a guard there. They didn’t believe Jesus’ prophesy that He would rise from the dead in three days, but they wanted to make sure no one could steal the body and start a rumor that Jesus rose from the dead.

As you’ve read this sermon, have the events surrounding the death and burial of Christ made an impression on you? The centurion who observed these events was amazed and afraid, and his attitude toward Jesus Christ changed.

ILLUSTRATION: One day two non-Christians were riding along on a railroad train discussing Christ’s wonderful life. One of them said, “I think an interesting romance could be written about Him”. The other man replied, “Yes, and you are just the man to do it, setting forth the correct views of His life and character. I advise you to tear down the idea of His divine nature, and paint Him and He was – just a man living among men.” The recommendation was acted upon and the novel was written. The man who made the suggestion was Colonel Ingersoll, and the author was General Lew Wallace. The book was entitled “Ben Hur”. I imagine that many of you have read the book or seen the movie.

In the process of writing that book, Wallace learned some amazing truths. The more he studied Jesus’ life and character, the more he become convinced that Jesus was more than just a great teacher. Like the centurion in Matthew’s Gospel, he became persuaded that “Truly, this was the Son of God”! I pray that you might also reach that conclusion, act upon it, and enjoy the privileges of being a “child of God”.

MAKING ROOM FOR JESUS AT CHRISTMAS

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The real joy of Christmas comes when we discover and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas can only be found by asking and answering this question: “Why did Jesus come to earth?” Why did Jesus come to earth? Was it to give us an additional opportunity to “make merry”? Was it to give people an occasion to spend money on presents, greeting cards, and Christmas decorations? The purpose of this question is not to condemn these activities, but to cause us to think about the real meaning of Christmas.

Why did Jesus come to earth? Let’s let Jesus answer that question Himself. In Matthew 20:28 Jesus says, “. . . the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus was born on this earth in order to die for our sins, as a perfect sacrifice to a holy God. He didn’t have to come as a helpless infant. He didn’t have to come and die for our sins, but He chose to do so out of love for each of us.

In John 10:10 Jesus states another reason for His coming to earth. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus came to give us the kind of life that neither money nor anything else on this earth can buy.

Do you and I have the true joy of Christmas this year? In the midst of wrapping presents and making preparations, is there room in our lives for Jesus? Today, over 2000 years after that glorious event, millions of people have no room for Jesus. Although they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, the Lord Jesus is kept out of their lives. How about you? Is there room in your life for Jesus the Messiah? What better time than during this season to rededicate your life to Him, or to receive Him into your life as your personal Savior and Lord!

Just prior to World War II, in the country of India, there existed a Christian school for the children of the lowest class of society, called the “untouchables”. Every year these students received Christmas presents from children in England. The girls received a doll and the boys received a toy. On one occasion the doctor from a nearby mission hospital was asked to hand out the gifts. While he was there, he told the youngsters about a village where the boys and girls had never heard of Jesus. He suggested that maybe they would like to give them some of their old toys as presents. The children liked the idea and agreed to do so. A week later the doctor returned to collect the gifts. One by one the children filed by and handed the doctor a doll or a toy. To his great surprise, they all gave the new present they had just received a week earlier. When he asked “why”, a girl spoke up and said, “Think what God did by giving us His only Son. Could we give Him less than our best?”

What’s it going to be like for you on the day after Christmas – when Christmas is over? Let’s go back to the original Christmas. On the day following Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph were faced with the ordinary tasks of caring for a new baby. The shepherds would be back on the hillside tending their sheep. All the elements were present for an emotional letdown, which often follows an emotional high. But I don’t believe they experienced any “after-Christmas blues”. Mary and Joseph didn’t quickly forget all that happened, and the shepherds couldn’t easily forget what they had seen and heard. The angelic message had proven to be true, and their lives were filled with new hope and anticipation.

Two thousand years later, we have the full story. Jesus came into this world to die for our sins. He then conquered death by rising from the grave. We have more truth to ponder and more reasons to glorify God than did Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. We need not experience an “after-Christmas letdown”. As we remind ourselves of the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may each day of our lives be filled with joy.

May you have a joyous Christmas season, and “after-Christmas” season!

A LESSON ON COMPASSION (Part II) – Jonah, chapters 3 and 4

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The book of Jonah, chapter 2, ended with the description of the great fish spitting up Jonah onto the dry land at God’s command. God caused this to happen because of what Jonah said at the end of his prayer of thanksgiving. To put it in today’s language, Jonah was saying, “I’ll do what you command” and “You can save whomever you choose.” Let’s see what happens in chapters 3 and 4.

III. JONAH’S PREACHING AT NINEVEH (Chapter 3)

We find God repeating His initial command to Jonah in chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, and this time Jonah obeys God’s command and walks through the city over a period of three days crying out and saying, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The result was that the people believed in God and repented of their sins. They demonstrated their repentance by proclaiming a fast and putting on sackcloth. That would be like wearing a large burlap sack over your bare body. Can you imagine how much that would itch and irritate your skin. Even the king of Nineveh took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He also issued a decree, beginning in verse 7 saying, “. . . Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be clothed in sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?”

It doesn’t say how long they did this. It may have been for days, or weeks, or even the full 40 days. They were appealing to God’s mercy and they found that God is a merciful God. In verse 10 it says, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

II. JONAH’S DISCONTENT AND CORRECTION (Chapter 4)

There must have been great rejoicing in the city of Nineveh. But one person wasn’t rejoicing. He was angry. And that person was the prophet Jonah. Was Jonah mad because his prophesy didn’t come true? Was he embarrassed? No. The real reason why Jonah fled from the Lord, and why he was angry with God is found in 4:2-3. Jonah was willing to die for the sailors. He thanked God for sparing his own life. But Jonah didn’t want God to spare Nineveh because they were a very wicked people; they weren’t Jewish, and Nineveh was the capitol of the nation of Assyria. The prophet Isaiah had already prophesied that Assyria was going to someday destroy the nation of Israel and take the remainder of the people back to Assyria as captives. This prophecy is found in Isaiah 7:17-20 and following. In Jonah 4:2 he even accuses God of being “gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness”, as if those were God’s faults or weaknesses!

Jonah is so angry that he asks God to take his life. He would rather die than have God spare the lives of the people of Nineveh, and God questions his anger. Jonah leaves the city and builds a booth “outside” the city; waiting to see if God will come to His senses and decide that these people don’t deserve to be spared. While Jonah sleeps God causes a gourd plant to sprout out of the ground overnight and grow big enough to provide shade for Jonah. This makes Jonah very happy! He must have been thinking, “God has finally come to His senses and has agreed with me that these people don’t deserve to live!” But then God causes a worm to destroy the vine, and Jonah becomes very angry again. There is an important lesson here. God is in control. He caused the storm. He caused the fish to swallow Jonah and later spit him out. He caused the vine to grow up overnight, and He caused the worm to kill the vine. Everyone and everything obeyed God except the preacher. The storm, the dice, the sailors, the fish, the Ninevites, the east wind, the gourd plant, the worm! Everyone and everything except . . . Jonah! Sometimes God allows us to suffer the consequences of our actions so that we might know that He is in control.

A second lesson is found in 4:10-11. Jonah lacked God’s compassion for people. There’s a little bit of Jonah in all of us sometimes, isn’t there? Sometimes more than a “little bit”? It is the Jewish custom on the annual celebration of the Day of Atonement to read from the book of Jonah. And at the end of the reading all would say, “We are Jonah!”

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, the book of Jonah is saying that God loves you and wants to show you mercy, no matter how sinful you have been. God wants to receive you into His family if you are ready to turn from your sins and let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of your life. The Controller of the universe gives you the freedom to give Him control over your life, and you can do that right now.

If you are a Christian, the book of Jonah is saying that people are precious because God considers them to be precious. God wants us to lay aside our prejudices and let Him fill our hearts with His compassion for the sinning and suffering people we meet. Do you remember that person I asked you to bring to mind at the beginning of this message? What are you and I going to do this week to reach out by the power of God’s love to that person we’ve been avoiding?

I’m closing this message by reading a portion from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The Lord Jesus says it better than anyone else. The passage of Scripture is Matthew 5:43-48. The Lord Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

A LESSON ON COMPASSION (Part I) – Jonah. chapters 1 and 2

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INTRODUCTION:

I’d like you to think for a moment of a person . . . a person in your neighborhood, or where your work, or where you go to school, or where you do business . . . Someone that you come in contact with often . . . Someone you don’t like being around! Is someone coming to mind? Either because of this person’s nationality, personality, or the way he or she looks, acts, or treats you or for whatever reason, this person causes in you feelings of anger or dislike. Question: Do you and I, as Christians, have a responsibility even to such a person?

THE BOOK OF JONAH

The book of Jonah, in the Old Testament, deals with this very issue. How many of you have ever been fishing, or have friends or family members who like to fish? Then you’ve probably heard some “fish stories”, like the story about “the one that got away”. Have you noticed that the more often that story is told, the bigger that fish gets?

There are many people today who think of the book of Jonah as just another “big fish story”. But the book of Jonah is God’s Word, and it has a message for us today. ILLUSTRATION: One day a young man traveling on a train began to discuss the Bible with a Christian seated next to him. “If you can prove to me that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, I’ll believe all the rest of the Bible”, he said. “What do you think of Jesus Christ?” asked his companion. Surprised by the strange response, the first man answered, “That’s beside the point!” “Oh no, it’s not”, replied the Christian. “Tell me, do you think that Jesus Christ was wise?” “Yes”, he said, “I think He was the wisest man who ever lived.” ” Well He believed what you call a ‘fish story’, for see what He said in Matthew 12:40.” The unbeliever was amazed to find that the passage of Scripture read, “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” “You see”, said the Christian, “Jesus believed the account of Jonah!” “Thanks mister”, was his reply, “That’s proof enough for me!”

To doubt the story of Jonah and the fish is to doubt the authority and deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He considered this event in Jonah’s life to be a fact. And the book of Jonah has an important message for us today

THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

The writer of the book of Jonah had two main purposes for writing this book under the inspiration of God. The first purpose was to show us Jonah’s motivation for the things he did, and for his attitude. Secondly, the writer wanted to show us something about God’s character, and what God is like. Let’s look at the first two chapters of the book of Jonah and see what we can learn from them today.

I. JONAH’S DISOBEDIENCE AND PUNISHMENT (1:1-16)

Jonah 1:1-3 says, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Nineveh was east of Israel, and Jonah went west, in the opposite direction. He went to Joppa and boarded a ship headed for Tarshish, which is modern-day Spain. Jonah wanted to get as far away from God and God’s plan for him as he possibly could. Is it possible to escape from the presence of the Lord? God is all-present, isn’t He? Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” How do we behave when no one is looking but God? Let’s test ourselves this week.

What was Jonah’s motivation for fleeing? Was it cowardice? Was he afraid to go to Nineveh? Well, he had good reason to be afraid. Nineveh was probably the largest and one of the most wicked cities in the world at that time. Chapter 4, verse 11 says there were “more than 120,000 people who did not know the difference between their right and left hand.” If God is speaking in a physical sense, this could be referring to children under the age of five, because it’s often hard to tell whether a child that age is right or left-handed. If God is speaking in a physical sense here, the total population of Nineveh could have been over 600,000 people, which is a large city even by today’s standards.

So, was Jonah a coward? No. Let me read for you 1:11-12: “So they said to him. ‘What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us’ – for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. And he said to them, “pick me up and throw me into the sea.” Jonah was willing to sacrifice his own life to save the lives of the sailors when God brought the great wind and storm in verses 4-14. When the sailors cast lots in verse 7 to learn who caused this storm to come upon them, the lot fell to Jonah. When they asked him for information about himself, he told them that he was a Hebrew, and when he told them about his God, the men knew he was fleeing from the Lord.

It’s interesting that they give Jonah an option when they asked him in verse 11, “What shall we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?” Jonah replied in verse 12, “pick me up and throw me into the sea.” But the crew was unwilling to do it and kept on rowing, and finally prayed to Jonah’s God and asked for forgiveness for what they were going to do. Then in verse 15 they “picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging” just like Jonah said it would. This caused the sailors to show reverence to Jonah’s God, and they offered a sacrifice to Him in verse 17 and made vows to God. Jonah’s courage and the fulfillment of his words caused them to believe in his God.

II. JONAH’S DELIVERANCE (1:17 – 2:10)

But this isn’t the end of the story. Jonah did not drown. Verse 17 says, “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah. ILLUSTRATION: Some people say there isn’t a creature in the sea that is capable of performing such a feat. But scientists know better. For instance, in 1912 Captain Charles Thompson harpooned a huge mammal off the coast of Florida which, when it was brought to land, was found to contain another 1500-pound fish that it had swallowed whole! Those who examined Thompson’s catch said it could have swallowed 20 average-size men! A Baptist minister who came on the scene stood in the creature’s mouth, holding his hands above his head, and still found that he was too short to reach the top of the fish’s mouth! And we must not forget that the creature referred to in Jonah 1:17 was especially “prepared” for its unique assignment by the Lord Himself.

Jonah was in the stomach of that fish for three days and three nights. God not only spared Jonah’s life, but He also gave Him some time to think about what he had done. I’m sure that being inside that fish was by no means an enjoyable experience. ILLUSTRATION: A wealthy lady had a very spoiled and strong-willed youngster. One day, when a wasp flew in the window, the boy, seeing its brilliant colors, began crying for it. At last, the mother called to the servant who was taking care of the child, “What is that boy crying for? Will you please let him have it?” A few minutes later she was startled by a loud scream. “What’s the matter?” asked the mother. “He got what he wanted” was the servant’s reply. Sometimes in God’s great wisdom, He allows us to feel the sting and misery of our own selfish, disobedient ways so that we might learn through our pain and humiliation that the Lord knows what is best.

We find in chapter 2 that Jonah prays to God from the stomach of the fish. If you were in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights, what kind of prayer would you pray? I know what I would say: “Help, Lord; please get me out of here!” But in chapter 2 Jonah prays a prayer of thanksgiving to God for sparing his life. And at the end of his prayer, Jonah says what God wants to hear. In chapter 2, verse 9, Jonah says: “That which I have vowed I will pay.” After that promise by Jonah, verse 10 says, “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.” And what are God’s first words to Jonah? Does He say, “Jonah, you’re tired, you’re hungry, and you smell like a fish? Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” No. God’s first words to Jonah in Chapter 3 are: “Go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” God is going to have His way in Jonah’s life, and He brings Jonah back to His original command to Him.

So far we’ve learned that disobedience to God has its consequences. We’ve learned that the book of Jonah is factual and should be treated that way. We’ve seen some amazing things that God has done, and it’s going to get even more amazing in the rest of this book. I hope to have chapters 3 and 4 finished next week and posted for you to read. Don’t miss the exciting conclusion, and don’t forget that God is always watching you and wants you to enjoy His presence.

REJOICING IN TROUBLES – James 1:1-4

character, Circumstances, Epistle of James, Joy, trials, Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION:

Did you know that in the early days of baseball, the batter signaled the pitcher where to throw the ball? That’s right, he actually told him where he wanted it! He held out his bat and showed him. As the sport of baseball progressed, however, the batter had more and more obstacles to overcome – for example, the curveball! As pitching the ball became more complicated, hitting the ball became more difficult. This illustration points us to a modern-day problem. Many people believe that they can determine what they want life to give them. But the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who expects his or her Christian life to be easy is in for a shock!

I. THE GREETING (verse 1)

James addresses his letter to the Jews who are living outside the Promised Land because of the persecution of Christians. He was writing to Christian Jews. The word “scattered” in verse l is the Greek word “diaspora”, and it carries the idea of “scattering seed”. When the Jewish believers were scattered at the beginning of the persecution, it was really the sowing of seed in many places; and much of that seed bore fruit as many gentiles heard the Gospel message and received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

II. A JOYFUL ATTITUDE (verse 2)

James tells us in verse 2 to expect trials. He does not say, “if you fall into various trials”, but “when you encounter various trials”. We can’t always expect everything to go our way. Some trials come simply because we are human. For example, sickness, accidents, disappointments, even tragedies are the lot of the human race. Other trials come because we are Christians. Satan fights against us and the world opposes us, and this makes for a life of battles. The trials of life are not all alike. They are like the multicolored yarn that a weaver uses to make a beautiful oriental rug. God arranges the colors and experiences of life. The final product is a beautiful thing for His glory. Have you ever looked at the underside of an oriental rug? The patterns are unclear and there are loose ends of yarn dangling. We are looking at the wrong side of life! Only God sees the finished pattern! Let’s not judge God or His work based on what we see today. His work isn’t finished yet!

We are to “consider it all joy”, knowing that God is doing what is best for us. Just before the Second World War, two refugees from Germany had just arrived in the United States by ship. Though they were Christians by faith, they were Jewish by birth. They arrived here without friends, without money, and without the youth and the strength to start a new life. One of them said to an American pastor, “We sometimes think we ought to thank God for Hitler.” “Why?”, the pastor asked in amazement. And the answer came: “Because he has taught us that we need nothing but God. Hitler has taken from us everything else, and now we know that God is enough.” In the Old Testament scriptures, Job demonstrated his confidence in God when he said in Job 23:10, “But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold”.

A lady named Ida Clark was overcome with grief as she approached the church on the Sunday morning after her mother had died. Just outside the church, a 7-year-old boy met her. He stopped, planted his feet solidly on the path in front of her, and with tearful eyes looked up at her. “I prayed for your mother”, he said, “but she died.” For a moment the sorrowing woman wanted to scoop him up in her arms and cry with him, but she could see he was seriously disturbed because he thought his prayers had not been answered. So she quickly and quietly lifted her heart to God in silent prayer. “O Lord, give me the right answer!” Then she said to the boy very solemnly, “You wanted God to do His best for my mother, didn’t you?” He nodded slowly. “Son, He answered your prayer. His best for her was to take her home to live with Him.” The lad’s eyes lighted up as he replied, “That’s right, He did.” Then off he ran to meet his friends, content that God had taken her to heaven.

Do the events in your life go against everything you think is good? Is it hard to understand why circumstances haven’t fallen into place like you prayed they would? Don’t be dismayed. Trust God and ask Him to help you learn the difficult but rewarding lesson of being satisfied with His best. There is a poem that goes like this:

He knows why we must suffer;
He knows why we must grieve;
He knows why days are lonely;
He says only “Believe!
Believe that I your Father
Send each and every test;
Dear child, there is a reason,
For I know what is best.”

III. AN UNDERSTANDING MIND (verse 3)

What is it that Christians know that makes it easier to face trials and benefit from them? They know that God always tests us to bring out the best in us. Peter says in I Peter 1:6-7, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”.

A gold prospector brings his ore sample into the inspector’s office to be tested. The sample itself may not be worth more than a few dollars, but the approval, the official statement about the ore, may be worth millions! It assures the prospector that he has a gold mine. God’s approval of our faith is also precious because it assures us that our faith is genuine.

Verse 3 tells us that the testing of our faith produces endurance or patience. God wants to make us patient because that is the key to every other blessing. The person who does not learn patience will not learn much of anything else. We live in an “instant society” today. We have instant cash, and instant food and drink. We have the ten-minute oil change, one-hour photo processing, and same-day dry cleaning. You would think that waiting must be one of life’s most trying experiences. We’ve created for ourselves instant lifestyles. If things don’t happen right now, we tend to explode inside ourselves, and often we explode on the outside also. As Christians, we tend to direct our impatience toward God, especially when we are undergoing a trial. If God can create something out of nothing in an instant, why doesn’t He act? Yet He seems to take His time. Look how long He delayed before sending Jesus into the world. Yet in Galatians 4:4 it says, “In the fullness of time God sent His Son.” And there is a “right time” for God to bring us to maturity and a strong faith.

When the believer in Jesus Christ learns to wait on the Lord, then God can do great things for him or her. Immature people are always impatient; mature people are patient and persistent. A nurse in a servicemen’s hospital complained to the chaplain that she had been rudely treated by some of the patients. He answered, “Thank God for that!” “What do you mean”, she asked in astonishment. “Well”, he explained, “if you are holding a glass and someone knocks against you, you can only spill out what is inside!” When people misjudge and persecute us, we soon reveal what is in our hearts. If we are Christ-filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will manifest the gentleness and patience of our Savior. In fact, God often allows us to be pushed around and mistreated so that unsaved men and women around us might be amazed by God’s grace as we overflow with love and patience. People who have studied the life of John Bunyan, the author of the book, “Pilgrim’s Progress”, tell us that he was such a devoted Christian that he actually asked the Lord to send severe trials into his life so that he might have new occasions to show his love for Jesus.

The only way the Lord can develop patience and character in our lives is through trials. Knowing this, we can face trials joyfully. We know what trials will do in us and for us, and we know that the end result will bring glory to God. Just like the athlete disciplines himself, and goes through the agony of training, in order to win.

IV. THE RESULT (verse 4)

The result, in verse 4, is “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” In this age of “instant lifestyles”, we need to continually remind ourselves that God has a right time for everything. Dr. Niles tells about a service being held in a cathedral in Norway. Worshipers had noticed that the ceiling was low in proportion to the rest of the building. During the sermon, Bishop Bergraav told the congregation that the ceiling which they see was not the true ceiling. It was a working floor built for the artists who were painting the life of our Lord on the true ceiling. Some day the working floor would be taken down, and they would see what the artists had been doing.

As we look up and try to see what God is doing in the world, we are tempted to feel disappointed. We are looking for soaring arches and a high ceiling that reminds us of infinity and of heaven. But one day our working floor will be taken away, and then we will see what the Great Artist has been doing in our lives.

How are you handling your difficulties? Self-pity, murmuring, and rebellion will hinder your growth; but praise, submission to God, and faith in God’s loving purpose will produce in you a growing likeness to Jesus Christ. God is never in a hurry. Are we?