WE ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE WE BELONG TO GOD

Proclamation:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Peter, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)  Peter began this second chapter by telling them to rid themselves of all malice and evil traits and to crave The Word of God like newborn babies crave milk. (1 Peter 2:1-3)  Then he told them that they were a special people, like living stones built into a spiritual house similar to Christ who is the spiritual cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:4-7)  He told them that they were also special because they were chosen by God to be His special possession.  They were part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, called by God.  Then he urged them to abstain from sinful desires and to live good lives among the pagans of the world. (1 Peter 2:11-12)  He told them to obey the law of the land, as long as it did not conflict with the law of God. (1 Peter 2:13-17)  He ended by reminding them of the things that Christ went through and suffered before he bore all of their sins on the cross. (1 Peter 2:21-25)

Application:

It is sometimes hard to see ourselves as a special people when we are suffering and going through the midst of a storm, but we are the elect people of God, chosen from before the beginning of time.  We have a special calling on our lives, we are His people.  Here we are reminded to crave The Word of God and to abstain from sinful worldly desires.  We are to live Christ-like lives as we walk among the lost in this sin-sick world.  We are the light of the world, (Matthew 5:14) a beacon light to lead to lost to Christ.  All of us may not be called to be preachers, but we all can live in such a way that others can see Christ within us.  We are a purchased people; Christ paid it all for us.

OUR GOD IS HOLY AND WITHIN US THEREFORE WE SHOULD BE HOLY

Proclamation:

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Peter, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-2)  After introducing himself and greeting them, Peter offered praise to God for giving them a new living hope through the resurrection of Jesus, The Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-5)  He told them that they may suffer for a little while but their joy was coming. (1 Peter 1:6-7)  Then he told them to be holy, and keep their minds on things which are good and on Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 1:13-16)  God is holy so they should be holy.

Application:

Here Peter quoted from The Old Testament Scriptures when he told them, and believers today, to “be holy” because our God is holy. (Leviticus 11:45, 19:2, 20:7, and 20:26)  We need to be careful with our thoughts.  We should keep our minds on things which are holy, good, and Christ-like, and not on the evil desires that we had before we were saved. (1 Peter 1:13-14)  We may suffer for a while during this life but our day of rejoicing is coming. (Psalm 30:5, 1 Peter 1:6, and Revelation 21:4) 

THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ARE POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE

Proclamation:

“Is anyone among you in trouble?  Let them pray … Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them … the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; The Lord will raise them up … The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”  James 5:13-16 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He begins the fifth and final chapter of this letter by telling them that the rich people, who lived in luxury, hoarded their wealth, failed to pay their workers, and made innocent people suffer, will themselves suffer. (James 5:1-6)  Then he urges the believers to be patient.  They that persevered in the face of suffering will be blessed. (James 5:10-12)  He encourages them to pray for themselves and to ask the elders of the church to pray for them.  The prayers of the righteous are powerful and very effective.

Application:

As believers we are encouraged to always pray, and to pray about all things. (Matthew 21:22, Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36, and Ephesians 6:18)  We are also encouraged to pray for one another. (James 5:16)  The prayers of the righteous are powerful.  Prayer changes things.  If all is going well with you, then thank God and sing psalms or songs of praise. (James 5:13)  If all is not well, then pray, and ask the righteous to pray for you.   

WITH GOD'S HELP WE CAN RESIST THE DEVIL

Proclamation:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you … Humble yourselves before The Lord, and He will lift you up.”  James 4:7-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers who scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He wrote this letter to provide them with practical advice on Christian living.  He begins this fourth chapter by telling them that they desire things which are for their pleasure.  They pray and ask for the wrong things and that is why their prayers are not answered. (James 4:1-3)  He said that they act like worldly people and that those who like the world are enemies of God. (James 4:4)  He tells them that they need to submit themselves to The Lord God and resist the devil.  If they humble themselves before The Lord, He will lift them up.  He ends by telling them that to know what is right and to choose not to do it, is to commit a sin. (James 4:17)

Application:

Most of us like this verse because it says that if we resist the devil that he will flee from us.  The problem is that we do not have the power to resist the devil on our own.  We missed the first part of this verse which says that we need to submit ourselves to The Lord God.  If we would first submit ourselves to Him, then He would give us the power to resist the devil and cause him to flee from us.  We need to keep in mind that we by ourselves are nothing and powerless.  It is only by the grace, strength, and help from The Lord God that we are able to accomplish anything.  We need to humble ourselves before Him.  We should not even talk about the things that we are going to do, or are planning to do, without acknowledging Him.  We should say that we will do this or that, if it is The Lord’s will. (James 4:13-16)

NO HUMAN CAN TAME THE TONGUE

Proclamation:

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”  James 3:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the Jewish believers who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He wrote this general epistle to provide them with practical advice on Christian behavior.  He begins this letter by telling them that most of them should not become teachers because those who teach will be judged more strictly and will be held to a higher standard. (James 3:1)  Then he tells them that the tongue is a small part of the body but it can do a lot of damage. (James 3:5-6)  He continues by saying that no man can tame the tongue.  They praise God and curse each other with the same tongue, and that should not be so. (James 3:9-10)  He ends this chapter by telling them that the wise men will live a good life and their good deeds will reflect their wisdom. (James 3:13-18)

Application:

Our tongue can get us in a lot of trouble.  Frequently we have said things that we should not have said.  What we say can defile us. (Matthew 15:11)  Sometimes the less we say, the better off we will be. (Matthew 5:37)  We should refrain from profane conversation and vain boasting. (Timothy 2:16)  We will be judged on every word that we speak and by our words we will be justified or condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)  We need to pray for God’s help to teach us to hold our tongue. (Job 6:24)  We should pray that our words will be “seasoned with salt” and helpful to those that hear us. (Colossians 4:6)  We also should pray that God will create within us a clean heart, because that which comes out of our mouth reflects that which is in our heart. (Matthew 12:34)  Good clean Christian conversation requires the help of The Lord.

FAITH IN GOD MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ACTION

Proclamation:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.”  James 2:14-17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the Jewish believers who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ. (James 1:1)  He wrote to them to encourage them to keep the faith in the face of all types of trials (James 1:2-4) but he told them that faith without works is dead and useless.  He said that a person is considered righteous by what he does and not by his faith alone. (James 2:24)  Then he said, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26)

Application: 

It is not enough to believe that there is a God.  It is good to believe in God, but if you believe in Him and do not follow Him, obey His Word, and live by His teaching, then your belief had accomplished nothing.  The devil and his demons know and believe that there is a God but they don’t follow Him. (James 2:19)  We must exercise our faith and put it to work.  It is by our deeds that we will be blessed. (James 1:25)  If all we do is say that we believe in Christ, but our actions do not go along with our words, then our words are not true.  Our actions speak louder than our words.  If we profess to believe in Christ but continue to live in sin as we did before our profession without changing our lives, then our professed belief is basically counterfeit.  We are not saved by our works, (Ephesians 2:9-10) but our works demonstrate our salvation and the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God as evidenced by the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  

BE DOERS OF THE WORD OF GOD AND NOT JUST HEARERS

Proclamation:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires … Do not merely listen to The Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says … not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.”  James 1:19-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by James, the half brother of Jesus, The Christ, (Galatians 1:19) under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the converted Jewish believers of the early church who were scattered after the crucifixion of Christ (James 1:1) to encourage them to keep the faith in the face of all types of trials. (James 1:2-4)  He told them to pray, and to believe and not doubt that their prayers would be answered. (James 1:6-8)  He also told them that blessed is the man who perseveres under trials for he will be rewarded. (James 1:12)  James ends this first chapter by urging them to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  Then he tells them that they should not be just hearers of The Word of God but also doers of The Word.  They will be blessed for that which they do.  

Application:

Unfortunately, most of the people in the world today do not read The Bible.  They watch and “read” the people of God.  Therefore, James encouraged all believers to be living examples of The Word of God.  The apostle Paul expressed the same thought in his letter to the believers in Corinth. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)  We need to understand that our actions will speak louder than our words, so we cannot just read and talk about The Word of God; we have to also live it.  We have to “walk the walk” and walk God’s way.  It is the behavior of believers that will have the most profound effect on the world.  It is for the behavior of believers that special blessing will be received.