Teaching Series

How often do you reflect on your life in light of eternity?

LET YOUR FAITH ROAR

Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. James 2:17 (BSB).

Rich Today Gone Tomorrow

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13–17 (NIV)

Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure. Matthew 6:19–21 (TPT)

Kingdom Key: Transform your temporary currency into eternal value.

Keep trusting in your riches and down you’ll go! But the lovers of God rise up like flowers in the spring.Proverbs 11:28 (TPT)

Calling, Calendars And Currency

God is not against planning, but He is against proud presumption. – Warren Wiersbe

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:13–14 (NIV)

1. The Complexity Of Life

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” James 4:13 (NIV)

2. The Fragility Of Life

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14 (NIV)

3. The Pride Of Life

As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. James 4:16 (NIV)

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1 (NIV)

Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” Luke 12:18–19 (NIV)

Boasting goes beyond pride; it’s a rebellion against divine authority.

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20–21 (NIV)

Kingdom Key: Transform your temporary currency into eternal value. 

Treasures In Heaven

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15 (NIV)

4. Let God Shape Your Plans

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9–10 (NIV)

The will of God comes from the heart of God. His will is the expression of His love, so I don’t have to be afraid! — Warren Wiersbe

The safest place to be is in the centre of God’s will. – Corrie ten Boom

5. Don’t Worship Wealth or Influence

Use your influence and material resources to serve, not dominate and control. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 2 Cor 8:3–5 (NIV)​​​​

You can’t worship the true God while enslaved to the god of money! Matthew 6:24 (TPT)

6. Live Today in Light of Eternity

Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

When a Christian realises their citizenship is in heaven, they begin acting as a responsible citizen of earth. Theyinvest wisely in relationships because they know they’re eternal. Their conversations, goals and motives become pure and honest because they realise these will have a bearing on everlasting reward. …They give generously of time, money, and talent because they’re laying up treasure for eternity. They spread the good news of Christ because they long to fill heaven’s ranks with their friends and neighbours. All this serves the pilgrim well, not only in heaven, but on earth; for it serves everyone around them. Joni Eareckson — Heaven: Your Real Home.

 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NIV)

Kingdom Key: Transform your temporary currency into eternal value. 

Who Are You At War With — Are You Willing To Kill To Get Your Own Way?

LET YOUR FAITH ROAR

Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. James 2:17 (BSB).

Divided Heart — Divided Life

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” 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. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:1—8 (NIV)

The Battle Of The Heart

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1–3 (NIV)

Who Are You At War With — Are You Willing To Kill To Get Your Own Way?

You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy! James 4:4 (TPT)

A divided heart produces a divided life.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in). Matthew 6:24 (AMP)

Are you flirting with the world and its values while trying to claim God’s promises?

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11 (ESV)

A Passionate God

Does the Scripture mean nothing to you that says, “The Spirit that God breathed into our hearts is a jealous Lover who intensely desires to have more and more of us”? James 4:5 (TPT)

If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1–2 (ESV)

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? …My heart is torn within Me, and My compassion overflows. Hosea 11:8 (NLT)

The Way Back to God

But He continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.” So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you. Move your heart closer and closer to God, and He will come even closer to you. But make sure you cleanse your life, you sinners, and keep your heart pure and stop doubting. James 4:6–8 (TPT)

1. ​Grace – Receive it

He continues to pour out more and more grace upon us. James 4:6 (TPT)

Wherever sin increased, there was more than enough of God’s grace to triumph all the more! Romans 5:20 (TPT)

No matter how messy or broken, God pours more grace. You can’t out-sin His supply.

For it says, God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble. James 4:6 (TPT)

Pride builds walls between us and God. Humility opens the floodgates of grace.

2. Submission – Say yes to God

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NIV)

In God’s kingdom, surrender is the first step towards achieving victory.

Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvellous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Romans 12:1 (TPT)

3. ​Nearness – Make space for His presence

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 (ESV)

So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NIV)

You are more important to God than the gift you bring.

Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning. – Dallas Willard

Proverbs 18:21 NIV

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Matthew 12:34 NKJV
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

Watch Your Mouth (sermon title slide)

– “Words are never just words. They reveal who we are, they shape who we become, and they set in motion realities we often don’t see.”
— Tim Keller

James 3:1 (NIV)
1Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

– “We live in a culture where being seen is more important than being formed.” - Rich Villodas

– “The warning here is not meant to stop genuine teachers but to prevent the self-appointed, the immature, or those motivated by ego. The role of teacher carries weight because words shape worlds—and souls.”  — N.T. Wright

- James 3:2-6 (NIV)
2We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is (like Ps Sean) perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.
4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.
5Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

- Three Analogies of the Tongue

• The bit in the horse’s mouth

• The rudder of a ship

• The small spark that starts a forest fire

- James 3:5 NIV

“Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”

Four Layers of Meaning in James 3:6

1. “The tongue is a fire”

2. “A world of evil among the parts of the body”

3. “It sets the whole course of one’s life on fire”

4. “It is itself set on fire by hell”

– “What we say is never just communication—it’s creation. With every word, we’re either setting fires that heal or fires that consume.” – Unknown

James 3:7-8 (NIV)

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,
8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Matthew 12:34 NKJV:

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Charles Spurgeon

“Unless the heart is changed, the tongue can never be controlled.”

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James 3:9-12 (NIV)

“The answer to misused speech isn’t silence—it’s surrender. Surrender to the Spirit, who alone can purify what we cannot tame.”– Unknown

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord...”

Psalm 19:4

WORDS MATTER:  SHIFT OUR JUDGEMENT TO FAITH

Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God’s law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it. Only He who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others?

JAMES 4:11-12 (LB)  

Don’t criticize, and then you won’t be criticised. For others will treat you as you treat them. And why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own? Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own?

MATTHEW 7:1-4 (LB)  

Only He who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others?

JAMES 4:12 (LB)

Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.

ROMANS 14:4 (NKJ) 

Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.

LEVITICUS 19:16 (NLT)

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

PROVERBS 18:8 (NIV)

Gossip is the devil’s radio.  Don’t be his DJ.

(Adrian Rogers) 

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

EPHESIANS 4:29 (The Message)

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

EPHESIANS 4:29 (NLT)

Before you speak, ask yourself:  Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary?  If not, let it be left unsaid.

(Bernard Meltzer)

1. WE CAN RESTRICT A PERSON’S FUTURE BY OUR JUDGEMENT.

A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

PROVERBS 16:28 (NLT)

Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

JAMES 4:11-12 (The Message)

2. WE CAN RESTRICT OUR FUTURE BY OUR JUDGEMENT.

But as it is written in the Scriptures: “No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 (NCV)

I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene… No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot (witty comment). ~ Albert Einstein

When you give your word, can people rely on it?

LET YOUR FAITH ROAR

Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. James 2:17 (BSB).

Words Matter: Clear Words — Clean Heart

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. James 1:26 (NIV)

We all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. James 3:2 (NLT)

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. James 3:9 (NIV)

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. James 5:12 (NIV)

Clear Words — Clean Heart

Above all we must be those who never need to verify our speech as truthful by swearing by the heavens or the earth or any other oath. But instead we must be so full of integrity that our “Yes” or “No” is convincing enough and we do not stumble into hypocrisy. James 5:12 (TPT)

All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37 (NIV)

When all is said and done, you're only as good as your word. — Unknown

The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in those who tell the truth.Proverbs 12:22 (NLT)

A Fountain Of Life

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? James 3:11 (NIV)

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. Proverbs 10:11 (NLT)

Do not let any unwholesome (corrupt) talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:29-30

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. — Mother Teresa

1. Wise Lips

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense. Proverbs 10:13 (NIV)

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 (NIV)

If you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3:14–17 (NIV)

2. Restrained Lips

Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.Proverbs 10:19 (NLT)

The more you talk, the more likely you will cross the line and say the wrong thing; but if you are wise, you’ll speak less and with restraint. Proverbs10:19 (Voice)

Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19–20 (NIV)

3. Feeding Lips

The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.Proverbs 10:21 (NIV)

The Master, God, has given me a well-taught tongue, so I know how to encourage tired people. He wakes me up in the morning, wakes me up, opens my ears to listen as one ready to take orders. Isaiah 50:4 (MSG)

4. Acceptable Lips

The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. Proverbs 10:32 (ESV)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

Touched by Fire, Ready to Speak

Unclean lips are caused by an impure heart.

What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 (NLT)

Before God uses a mouth, He purifies it. — Unknown

I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 1, 6:5–7 (NIV)

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:3–4 (NIV)

LET YOUR FAITH ROAR

Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. James 2:17 (BSB).

Grace For The Wandering Heart

Finally, as members of God’s beloved family, we must go after the one who wanders from the truth and bring him back. For the one who restores the sinning believer back to God from the error of his way, gives back to his soul life from the dead, and covers over countless sins by

When Faith Drifts

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth… James 5:19 (NIV)

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)

We are called to reach out, not to write people off!

…and someone should bring that person back. James 5:19 (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1–2 (NIV)

The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners. – Abigail Van Buren

Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:20 (NIV)

Living Loved By The Father

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable:Luke 15:1–3 (NIV)

1. The Younger Son — The Drift Of Self-Centredness

The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. Luke 15:12–14 (NIV)

So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! Luke 15:15–17 (NIV)

“When he came to his senses…”

Living your life without God, who created you, is an act of madness.

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. Luke 15:18–20 (NIV)

The Older Brother — Prideful Proximity

The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.Luke 15:28–29 (NIV)

All these years I’ve been slaving for you… This son of yours…

Religion without relationship breeds resentment.

The danger of prideful proximity is that you can be lost in the father’s house.

The Father — The Heart Of Grace

So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ Luke 15:20–21 (NIV)

God’s grace runs faster than our sin. — Max Lucado

God knows every darkened corner of our existence, every rebellious thought, every distorted passion, every insecurity … and still God chooses to reach out with forgiveness and grace. Mark R. McMinn

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.Luke 15:20–24 (NIV)

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Communion

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.Matthew 26:28–29 (NIV)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:4–5 (NIV)