James - Faith Without Works

On November 13, 2024, our Beach Church team held our first Annual Planning Meeting. It was a day of celebration, reflection, and looking ahead. Each ministry department shared its “wins” for 2024 and strategic goals for 2025. Reflecting on this past year, it is obvious that God is doing great work.  Since the first Sunday of this year, we have seen over 180 baptisms and 83 salvations, and on many Sundays, we have more than doubled in worship attendance since 2022!  

We have experienced incredible life-change across our worship, Life Groups, family ministries, and beyond. We have so much to be thankful for because God is moving among us, and He is changing our lives and the lives of others. I recognize that the first part of this message may sound a bit self-serving.  If you hang with me through the end, I think you will realize it is not. I may sound like I am patting myself on the back…I assure you I am not.

Every year, churches in America hang a “Permanently Closed” sign on their doors.  Researchers estimate anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 churches shut down every year. The difficult truth is that the churches just didn’t suddenly die; they had been on life-support for years. And, Beach Church could have been one of those statistics. So, on this first Sunday in December, I want to take a few moments to highlight some of the measurable ways God has been moving among us this year:

SINCE JANUARY 2024…

• With our Monthly food distribution, we have provided food for 12,360 people, doubling the amount of people from 2023. 

• We gave away over 900 Bibles during weekend worship services

• Since January 2024, we have welcomed 988 first-time guests, 385 second-time guests, and 314 third-time guests. 1,686 guests have visited Beach Church!

• We celebrated 180 baptisms (so far!) in 2024

• We provided wood-burning stoves to the Mayan people, hosted a Back Yard Bible club, and engaged the community by providing help with construction projects. 

• Launched an “Adoption and Foster Care Ministry” with 28 adults and 12 children. We matched three sets of families with support. Widows Ministry helped launch a “Foster Care Closet” to help meet the needs of foster children and foster families.

• In response to Hurricane Helene, we collaborated with other churches and our community and delivered over 100 pallets of supplies. 3 teams provided disaster relief work, with scheduled trips for 2025.

• Chili Fest: Earned First Place and $2,500 for Grand Strand Miracle Leagues.

• LifeGroups: Expanded from a pilot of 5 groups to 34 groups in 2024. Leadership grew from 5 to 34 LifeGroup leaders, connecting over 350 people in life groups.

• Children's Ministry has grown 50% since 2022, we now average 150 and growing. 

• Student Ministry: Averaged 75 students in the latter half of 2024. The first-ever Student Bash led to 7 salvations, 18 rededications, and 26 students interested in baptism.  (By the way, Baptism Sunday is December 15th…)

• Operation Christmas Child: Provide 941 Christmas boxes in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse. 

• We wrapped up our Sermon Series on Marriage with 350-400 couples renewing their vows.

• We have been recognized by Outreach Magazine as the 58th fastest-growing church in America.

I believe the reason God has been moving in and through Beach Church is because so many people have invited God to continue to CHANGE them into the people He wants them to become. They are being the hands and feet of Jesus in our church, and in our community. They are practicing good works and living out their faith in very real, practical ways.

Today in James 2, we will read about the life-changing faith that so many in our church have been practicing – faith characterized by a servant lifestyle.  And, we will be reminded that many people do not serve because they have not yet been changed by Jesus.

Let’s read.

James 2:14-26 (NLT2) 

14  What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16  and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18  Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20  How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? 21  Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. 24  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25  Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26  Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. 

James describes two different types of faith in this passage:  He describes a dead faith, and a living faith.  And, it is important that you understand the difference between the two.  A living faith resides in the heart of those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus and serves others gladly when given the opportunity.

But a…

DEAD FAITH KNOWS ABOUT JESUS, BUT DOESN’T FOLLOW HIM

James 2:17 (NLT2) 

17  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 

Let’s imagine the same scenario James describes at the beginning of this passage.  Imagine this evening as you are driving home from dinner, and the person who held the door open for you as you came into church today, is holding up a cardboard sign at an intersection that reads, 

“Cold and hungry. Please help.”

You say to yourself, “I know them from church.” So you lower your window and say, “Hey! Don’t I know you from Beach Church?”  They affirm that they attend, you chit chat back and forth, the light turns green, and you drive off and tell them, 

“Stay warm – it’s going to get cold tonight!”

If you profess faith in Jesus but can imagine yourself doing something like that, you have a dead and useless faith.

James 2:26 (NLT2) 

26  Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. 

Faith is dead without good works. 

That means you know and understand what Jesus did for you on the cross – but you have never surrendered your life to him.  You don’t follow Jesus to do good works, because you haven’t given him your hands and feet yet. You believe in Jesus, but you have never received Jesus. You have a dead faith. In fact, you have a demonic faith.

Look again at verse 19…

James 2:19 (NLT2) 

19  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 

A dead faith, is the same faith demons have.  The demons believe in God, but their belief is only intellectual, it is not transformational. A transformational faith that is alive that God uses to change the lives of others only comes when your belief leads to, surrender.

If…

you believe God created the human race,

you believe humans disobeyed and sinned against God 

you believe the punishment for sin is death.

But you also believe Jesus was fully God and fully man, 

And you believe he satisfied the punishment for your sin by dying on the cross, rising from the dead, ascending into heaven, and will one day return…

If you BELIEVE these things – then let your belief lead you to surrender.

Surrender your life to Jesus.  Commit to follow him.  From this moment forward, invite Jesus to be your Savior, and give Him your hands and feet.  Tell him from this moment forward, you will live for Him. Now, because you have repented and turned away from your sin, you want to meet the needs of others.  You have experienced the life-changing, resurrection power of Jesus in your life.  He gives you the power and the desire to do what pleases him…

And…

LIVING FAITH SERVES OTHERS AND MEETS NEEDS

James insists people prove they have faith by the good works they produce.  They demonstrate that Jesus is Lord of their lives by serving others and meeting their needs. The hypothetical situation that James introduces in chapter two could never happen because a true follower of Jesus would never chit-chat with a brother or sister in Christ, a believer in need, and tell them to stay warm in such a callous way. A follower of Jesus would read the sign, have compassion, pull the car over, and offer warm clothes and a meal.

And whether you are serving with Meals on Wheels, distributing food once a month, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, serving at New Directions ministry to help those at the end of their rope, regroup and get their lives back on track, a life group leader, or working with our children’s ministry, you understand that living faith serves others and seeks to meet the needs of those around them, whatever they may be.

And finally,

LOVE FOR JESUS COMPELS US TO GOOD WORKS. 

As followers of Jesus, we must remain close to the heart of Jesus and do those things he whispers into our hearts.  Those ARE the GOOD Works he has prepared for YOU to do.  I have mine.  You have yours.  

Mine is to equip followers of Jesus to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT2)

11  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 

Your responsibility is to stay close to the heart of Jesus and be obedient to God.  Do the work God has called you to do. And one of the ways I am convinced God has called me to equip us as a church is to lead our church to get out of debt. This year, for our Christmas Offering, I am inviting you to give sacrificially to help our church retire the mortgage we have carried for the last twenty years or so.

I often pray, “God, keep me out of your way to let you work.” Truthfully, this year, I almost got in God’s way regarding the Christmas Offering. I almost let doubt and fear dictate the plan instead of obeying the Spirit’s prompting. But I refuse to limit what God wants to do through us!

If we have learned anything from our recent journey, it is this: GOD IS NOT FINISHED CHANGING LIVES THROUGH BEACH CHURCH. As your Pastor, I am convinced that the Lord desires us to be debt-free. So, I’m asking—let's dig deep, give sacrificially, and see what the Lord will do!

Our mortgage balance is $571,169, with a monthly payment of $16,400.

Imagine standing together as a church family at a Note Burning Ceremony in 2025! Imagine knowing that we are completely free to serve, give, grow, and lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus—unencumbered. Reflect on those wins from 2024 – and imagine what we can do if we were able to move forward into 2025 with no mortgage. 

Imagine the impact Beach Church can make on our community when we are free from that mortgage payment! God has led me to this, and I know He’s leading us as a church. Together, we can eliminate this debt and increase God’s Kingdom locally and globally. If our faith is alive, it means we take steps that may seem impossible, trusting God to move mountains. Paying off our debt is one such step. Imagine how God can multiply our good works when we are completely unencumbered, ready to say yes to anything He puts before us.

We will receive the Christmas Offering at our 9:30 and 11:15 services on Sunday, December 22, 2024.

Meeting Jesus - Triumphal Entry

Well. It is spring time – that means Spring Breakers are here – and it means my girls are playing softball. Naomi has made the Softball team at Carolina Forest, and Jessica is playing rec league. For the last couple of seasons, I was able to help coach one of my daughter’s teams, but this year, I get to help out the team by simply serving as the Announcer at the Home Ball games. So – I am not coaching, just practicing embarrassing my daughter by using my “Announcer Voice.”

I like to watch the kids step up to the plate with their bat, and face the pitcher.  For one brief moment, each kid is standing alone at the plate, and all parents and players are watching them. When I was the girls age, I played Little League.  Whenever a good hitter went to bat, the coach of the opposing team would yell to his outfielders to “back up.” If they were a great hitter, the coach would tell them to back up to the fence. Whenever I stood up to bat, they always yelled, “Everybody move in!” Everybody would shift in.

The players and coaches responded differently based on who was at Bat. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses – and I had terrible eyesight. I couldn’t see the ball…

I could never tell if the pitcher threw the ball or was waving at his family…but I always swung the bat.

And the coaches and players knew it and responded appropriately.  Since I couldn’t hit the ball, there was no need playing defense deep. They knew I would always swing. They knew I would never connect and whether we realize it or not, people have an internal response whenever they see you and I today.  

When you walk enter a room. People have an internal response to you.

When you enter your home. When you arrive at work. When you walk into an office people will react and respond to you, based on what they know about you. 

I know that because, you and I respond and react to the people around us based on what we know about them…

• When you see an old friend, you might run up, grab them and give them a hug.

• When you see a friend you see every day, you might barely acknowledge them.

• If you see somebody you do not like, you might avoid eye contact with them…

That’s why it is so remarkable to see how people responded and reacted to Jesus when he entered Jerusalem.  

He had been changing lives. 

Working miracles. 

Teaching about forgiveness. 

Hope and second chances. 

For three years, he had been telling people about God’s love and care for them. He had been reconnecting people with God.  And, for three years, he had ticked a lot of the Religious Leaders off. As we have seen so far in our “Meeting Jesus” series, Jesus always seemed to rub religious leaders the wrong way. He got under their skin. He ruffled their feathers. He ticked them off.

The core of Jesus teaching was one way to a relationship with God…

The core of the religious teachers was hundreds of rules to get to God…

So, the Religious leaders had had enough of Jesus. 

In John 11:57 – the Religious bullies had made a public order that every Jew that saw Jesus must report where and when they saw him, so they could arrest him.

John 11:57

Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him. 

They had placed the highest level of a Jewish arrest warrant out on Jesus, and they made every Jewish person accountable to give the information to them. Jesus responded – by walking right into the Religious Leaders playground! They issued an arrest warrant – and instead of hiding and running – Jesus did something he had not been accustomed to doing – he made himself the center of attention.

We will begin reading in Luke 19.

Luke 19:28-40

28  After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30  “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31  If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32  So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33  And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34  And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35  So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. 36  As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37  When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38  “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39  But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40  He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” 

I love how the disciples and the crowd treated and honored Jesus. They didn’t know that in less than a week he would be betrayed, beaten, humiliated and paraded through town naked carrying a cross. They didn’t know he would suffer and die on a cross and pay the price for sin.

All they knew was that Jesus wanted to ride into town on a colt or a donkey – and they made it happen.  They borrowed a donkey.  They put their cloaks on it for Jesus to sit on. 

The crowd spread out their cloaks on the ground…and they called Jesus, KING.

They didn’t treat him like a King because he had told them to, they treated him like a King, because for three years, Jesus had treated each of them like they were a King. He talked with the tax collectors, prostitutes and notorious sinners not just because he loved them, but because they were important and had value. He healed the lepers, the blind, the sick, and brought hope to the brokenhearted because he loved them and they mattered to him.

Now, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, his followers had a chance to treat Jesus the same. 

Like ROYALTY.

During this time, a KING would enter into a town in two different ways. 

During wartime, King would ride into town on a horse. This symbolized to the town that King brough conflict. He entered the town on a horse, because he was going to defeat it. During peacetime, a King would ride into town on a Donkey or a Colt.  This symbolized the Kings intention were to bring peace, or continue the peace.  

If there were any rumors flying that the King was going to invade the land, the entering King put all fears and worries aside by entering the town on a donkey, and the people would rejoice.

Jesus desires to BRING you and I PEACE

This entrance stands out to me as one of the most incredible examples of courage in history. 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem…

JESUS DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND DEFIANCE TOWARD RELIGIOUS BULLIES (John 11:57)

When I think about defining moments of courage, I think about TANK MAN. The man that stood in front of the line of invading tanks in Tiananmen Square and refused to move. I think about the United States Marine Memorial with Marines holding up the American Flag during WW2 at the battle of Iwo Jima.

I think about the men and women who rushed into the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001, to save the lives of strangers.

And, I think about Jesus entering Jerusalem. 

He knew there was an arrest warrant out for him. 

He knew what the religious bullies were planning.  

He knew one of his followers would betray him.

But, Jesus didn’t slip into Jerusalem at night in the shadows. He didn’t hide in a cart filled with supplies.  

He entered Jerusalem with the highest level of visibility possible. 

But…he did not enter Jerusalem as the Conquering King that brings war.

He entered Jerusalem as the King who brings peace.

Crowds of people gathered around him. Other gospel writers tell us that they waved palm branches in the air as they shouted “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”.

The religious bullies that tried to control people’s behavior had a “hero of the people” to contend with.  The people cheered. They hugged one another. 

They celebrated the CHAMPION who had celebrated them. 

They cheered for the one who had cheered them on. 

They socially elevated the status of the one who had elevated them. 

They BLESSED the one who had BLESSED them.

They brought words of peace to the one who had brought them peace.

So,

LIKE JESUS, BRING AND LEAVE PEACE.

Do you bring peace to others when you enter a room? 

Do you leave peace when you exit a room?

We have the ability to bring comfort, peace, hope and encouragement to those around us. We can use our words to help or hinder others.  We can use our body language to help or hinder others. 

Are you a peace bringer? 

Or, do you leave rooms in conflict?

Do you help make people better through words of encouragement or do you enhance conflict with words of division? 

Does your opinion matter more than others?

Does your opinion always need to be expressed?

Are you always right?

These questions are difficult for all of us.  As a parent, sometimes I feel like I make matters worse when I jump into disagreements with the girls at the house. Instead of making things better, sometimes I feel like I make things worse. 

I am going to ask a series of questions – and I want you to let the answers linger in your mind for a little bit:

• If you are married, when your spouse sees you, do they brace themselves for conflict or are they relaxed and relieved? 

• Children, when your brother or sister see you coming, do they hold their breath and wait for the insults to begin, or do they light up when they see you coming?

• Employers, are you harsh with the people who work for you and “rule with an iron fist” or are they motivated to work hard for you because they know you work hard for them?

• Parents, do you constantly criticize and overwhelm your children with their failures or are you searching for areas to encourage them and are you building in them a healthy biblical self-image?

The reason I ask these difficult questions is because:

PEOPLE RESPOND TO PRESENCE BASED ON PATTERNS

As people lined up that day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, they were celebrating, waving palm branches, cheering, and elevating his social status based on the pattern of life he had been living. Look at v. 37

Luke 19:37

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen…

People responded to the presence of Jesus based on the pattern of his life. Crowds of people did not gather around Jesus because he was rude, selfish, and always had to have his way. People responded to Jesus based on the pattern of peace he had already demonstrated. So how do we establish a PATTERN of PEACE in our lives?  It will only happen when we:

CHOOSE JOY BECAUSE OF JESUS

He entered Jerusalem thinking about what he would soon endure. 

The betrayal.

The beatings.

The scourging.

The nails.

The cross.

He knew what he was going to have to endure, but he did not limit his attention to the pain.

Hebrews 12:2B

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Although Jesus knew he was about to experience UNBVELIEVABLE pain and suffering, he focused on what he would experience AFTER the cross.

AFTER the hostility.

AFTER the embarrassment.

AFTER the public humiliation.

AFTER the shame.

His suffering would bring you and I forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would reunite the Creator with His Creation.

His suffering would bring forgiveness of sin.

His suffering would bring joy.

And that is what he focused on! He didn’t not focus on the pain, he focused on the joy. That is so hard to do.

When we walk through the hard of life. When we walk through the pain in life. When we walk through confusion, betrayal, and loss…its difficult to not see it. Its difficult to not see the hopelessness, the loneliness, the confusion and the pain. So see it – but also see what is beyond it.

Look beyond the hard to focus on the joy!

We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

If we want to be joyful when we walk through the hard, we keep our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is the one who brings hope.

Jesus is the one who brings peace.

Jesus is the one who brings healing.

Jesus is the one who forgives.

Jesus is the one who gives second chances.

And third chances…

And fourth chances…

Jesus is the one who is the great life changer.

If you want peace, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want healing, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want forgiveness, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want another chance, fix your eyes on Jesus.

If you want to be triumphant, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Will I really get all that by fixing my eyes on Jesus?

I do not know for sure, but I know it is the only place to start.

Meeting Jesus - Receiving What We Give

In High School I had long hair, bad acne, and mostly did what I wanted to.  😊 I rarely studied for tests. I did my homework if I felt like it. With no effort, I was a straight B student. I was suspended from school for 15 days for going to school drunk on moonshine. Another time I was suspended for fighting.

One month after I graduated HS, I gave my life to Jesus.  I began growing in my faith, reading my bible daily, and living for Him.  After roughly FOUR years, I had a desire to go to College – but I didn’t know where to start.  Even though I had been out of High School for four years, I scheduled an appointment with my HS Guidance Counselor. 

I explained to her that I had given my life to Jesus right after I graduated…I was a Sunday School teacher, a youth volunteer, and I had served for one year as a church planter in Ohio…AND NOW…I needed some help and guidance from the only person I knew who could help me. My Guidance counselor looked at me and made a judgement based on my past life. She did not see the new life I had begun living. She only saw the Sophomore that came to school drunk on moonshine and threw up everywhere.  She did not see the SS teacher. She saw the boy that got suspended from school for fighting.

She only saw my past and politely said to me, “Joe. Some people aren’t meant to go to college…”. In that moment – I realized that some people will never let you move on from your past. But my guidance counselor is not the only person guilty of judging other people – I have been guilty of Judging others as well. And I bet you have too.

Luke 6:37-42

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38  Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” 39  Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? 40  Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. 41  “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42  How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. 

First, I want to make sure we understand what JUDGING is.

JUDGING IS NIT-PICKING THINGS THAT DO NOT MATTER.

Nit picking can kind of look like how my youngest daughter eats her food.  She will not eat her food if it touches something else on her plate.  All the food on her plate is going to get squished about by her teeth, smashed with her tongue, and digested by her stomach…but she won’t eat her toast if it touches her scrambled eggs.

That is nit-picking! Most of the time when we make initial judgements about other people, we judge them based on things that do not matter:

We focus on their hair style.  

Whether they have too many tattoos. 

Whether they do not have enough tattoos.

Their clothes.

Their educational level.  

Their occupation. 

Their former occupation.  

Their family.  

Their marriages.  

Their past lives.  

Whether they drink.

Whether they smoke…

That is nit-picking.

None of these things matter.  

As followers of Jesus, it is our purpose to LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS…and it is impossible to LOVE people if we nit-pick them to death. But this passage has so much more that we need to apply to our lives than judging others…

We can also learn…

WE REAP WHAT WE SOW, SO SOW LOVE GENEROUSLY.

Luke 6:37

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 

Have you ever wondered why people criticize you?

Have you ever wondered why other people give you the elevator eyes?

Have you ever wondered why people gossip about you, spread rumors about you, and speak negatively about your character?

I have.

And – the hard truth in this passage is “we reap what we sow”. If I judge others, I get judged by others. If I condemn others, I get condemned. If I nit-pick other people – other people are going to nit-pick me.  

BUT – If I sow LOVE to others, I will receive love from others. If I sow grace and forgiveness, I will receive grace and forgiveness.

I have been told to wear certain types of clothes when I preach.  I have been told to wear a tie.  A suit. I have been told to wear Jeans, get a different haircut, shave my beard, grow a beard…

Nit picking others stinks – so sow love generously!

It is a very simple practical step of faith.  If we claim to be a follower of Jesus. If we have asked Jesus to forgive us for our own arrogance, our own pride, our own selfish sinful behavior, then as recipients of HIS GRACE we ought to treat all others with GRACE and KINDNESS. It only makes sense.  We have been forgiven – we ought to give REAL forgiveness to others.  We have been shown MERCY – we ought to show REAL mercy to others. So – we still have this little Judge living inside of us…so what do we do with our judgmental behavior? 

In verse 41 Jesus asked…

Luke 6:41

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?

That means…

WE ALL HAVE A BLINDSPOT.

Within the last week I have seen three fender benders in about the same spot at 501 and Forestbrook.  Shifting lanes and merging with traffic is hard. Our minivan has a blindspot monitoring system.  If I begin to shift lanes and a vehicle is in my blind-spot, lights on my dash blink and a noise alerts me. While shifting lanes, I have to continually stretch my neck around to make sure that another driver isn’t in my blind spot.  My little cars f=do not have that feature.  I almost ran one driver off the road and cut off another driver who waved at me with one finger as he passed.

We all have BLIND SPOTS of sin in our lives.  Sin that other people can see from afar, but it is so close to us personally it is harder to see.

It could be bitterness. 

Resentment. 

Unforgiveness. 

An ambivalent attitude toward sin.  

An unloving spirit.  

A gruff and harsh tone with other people…

An addiction.  

A lack of self-control…

Are you aware of your blind-spot?  Are you aware of that speck that “log” in your own eye?  

Listen to what Jesus said:

Luke 6:41-42

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42  How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

We ought to be our own harshest critic.  

Instead of JUDGING others, we ought to JUDGE ourselves.  

We ought to examine our own heart. Our own motives. Our own actions. Our own lives. 

We should never ignore SIN when it begins to take root in our lives.  We ought to turn our nit-picking onto ourselves.  On a regular basis, we ought to sit down with a copy of God’s word that we can read and understand and allow it to speak to us and change us.

We should not fear being transparent and honest before God.  Jesus has already paid the penalty for your sin.  For my sin.  God is not going to punish you for your sin – we couldn’t bear it if he did.  Rather, as a follower of Jesus God desires to continue to bring CHANGE to you.  Regardless of your age.  Regardless of your past.

See – If I am a liar and I sit down with God on a regular basis – God is going to change me from a liar to an honest person.  His character is going to RUB OFF onto me.

If I am a drunk and sit down with God’s word on a regular basis – God is going to rescue me and sober me up. His character is going to sharpen me.

If I am a thief and sit down with God’s word – he is going to change and transform me.  His Character is going to gradually make me more like HIM.

As God reveals those BLINDSPOTS in my life and I confess and remove them – THEN I can help other people who have been where I have been.  

So can you! I believe God wants you to…

INSPIRE OTHERS BY CELEBRATING YOUR WINS.

I love the story of the OVERCOMER.  Maybe you are the overcomer. 

I love the story of an individual who has been beaten down by sin and by life yet somehow God has given them victory.  Those stories are inspirational and motivational.  If God can work in restoring “their” life, then maybe it is not too much of a stretch that HE is able to work in my life.  

You are the inspirational story that another follower of Jesus needs to read!  That marriage that God redeemed and rescued – somebody needs to hear how you and your spouse overcame.  

That addiction that God rescued you from.  There is an addict sitting in our church that needs to hear your story of breaking free!

That cancer diagnosis? That depression? That anxiety? Somebody needs to hear about your win!

Be willing to share your win! 

When you share your win, you share HOPE!  You help those who are struggling understand that they are not alone and that they too can overcome through the love of Jesus.

Consider getting involved with Celebrate Recovery.  They lean on one another in a non-judgmental way.  They celebrate wins together and they stick with one another through losses and failures.

Whether we share it in a sermon or on Social Media, countless people can be impacted through hearing your story of how God removed the log from your eyes.

Will you communicate how God has given you that second, third and fourth chance, open your mouth and begin to speak about His Grace in your lives to help others?