Passage: James 1:13-25 Speaker: John Moon Series: Standalone Messages
Speaker: John Moon - The letter of James was written by the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He certainly had his doubts about Jesus’ real identity, but somewhere between Cana and Calvary this skeptical brother saw the light. In Acts 1:14 James is found praying with the disciples, and by Acts 12:17 he is recognized as a key leader in the Jerusalem Church. In his short and practical letter his chief aim in writing is to urge fellow believers to persevere to the end in wholehearted devotion to the Lord. In James 1:12-25 the focus shifts from his introduction about the trials of life in a fallen world to the reality of the temptation to sin. Our trails may provide an occasion for temptation and sin, but the real problem does not lie in our external circumstances but within our hearts. The Double-mindedness that James warns against in 1:6-8 is nowhere more evident than in the struggle between our own sinful desires and the word of God. So, in keeping with his aim to encourage believers to persevere to the end in wholehearted devotion to the Lord, James want them to learn to Hate Deception and Love the Truth. Because when God grants new life the mark of a God-changed heart is an eagerness to hear and obey His Word. May God help us to see his goodness that makes us fall in love with his good Word.