A series of messages from the book of James on the subject of “real faith.” When someone has real faith, how does it show up in their lives? An eight part series.
HOPE Episode 126 – God’s Word and My Everyday Life part 1
Originally aired December 3rd/4th, 2011
This week we’re beginning a new series of messages from the book of James, which we’ve called “God’s Word and My Everyday Life.” This intensely practical series will shine a bright spotlight on the subject of Real Faith. When someone declares “I have faith in Jesus,” what does that mean…really? How will it show up in their lives, if it’s true? James, who was the half-brother of Jesus, wastes no time and pulls no punches in giving us the blueprint. Today’s message opens up with a difficult topic: suffering. You see, Real Faith doesn’t waste suffering. Real Faith looks at suffering and sees God’s plan in it, to strengthen our faith and grow us in maturity. This will be an eight week study from James, and I promise you, if you stick with it, you WILL be changed.
Open your Bibles now to James chapter 1 and let’s join Tom for part one of “God’s Word and My Everyday Life.”
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HOPE Episode 126 God's Word and My Everyday Life, part 1 (12.8 MiB, 34 hits)
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HOPE Episode 127 – God’s Word and My Everyday Life part 2
Originally aired December 10th/11th, 2011
We’re continuing today with a series of messages from the book of James that Tom entitled “God’s Word and My Everyday Life.” He chose that title because that’s what James is writing about — our everyday, average, normal lives. If we really, truly have faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, how will that change our lives? WILL it change them? What does it mean if we don’t seem interested in any changes? Tough questions? You don’t know the half of it. James is God’s blunt weapon in the Scriptures. He doesn’t waste time or words on pleasantries. You wouldn’t either, if you knew for an absolute fact that the message you had was both true and the most important thing you could ever tell anyone else. Let’s not forget, James was the half-brother of Jesus, another son of Mary. He grew up in the same house as Jesus and like the rest of the Lord’s brothers, James thought Jesus was delusional. Until Jesus was crucified, and James saw Him, in the flesh, risen from the dead. Let THAT sink in for a moment. I’ll wager you’d be pretty direct with preaching the message about Jesus also, after something like that, even if he WAS the kid you used to wrestle with back in Nazareth.
Download the MP3 audio file.
HOPE Episode 127 God's Word and My Everyday Life, part 2 (12.8 MiB, 27 hits)
Or listen online.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
HOPE Episode 128 – God’s Word and My Everyday Life part 3
Originally aired December 17th/18th, 2011
Faith itself is invisible. You can’t see what’s inside me. God can, but ONLY God can. The rest of us have to go on what we can see and hear. So how do you know when someone really has faith in God? A lot of people THINK they have faith in God, and would say that they did, but what benchmark do they use to judge the truth of that? A feeling? Feelings come upon us quickly, overwhelm us sometimes with their intensity, but often change or disappear just as fast as they arrived. Here’s what God says in the book of James. God says that He has created within us new life, and this new life will transform us from the inside out. For some of us, that happens quickly and, for others, it takes a long time. Some don’t seem to struggle with it at all, and others…well, others find the shell a little harder to crack open, in a manner of speaking.
The one thing faith will not be is alone. The gospel is we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, but not by a faith that is alone. What do I mean by a faith that is alone? That’s the subject of this series of messages from the book of James in which Tom Hendrikse explores what the Bible says real faith is, and how it changes the lives of those who possess it. We called it “God’s Word and My Everyday Life.” How does God’s Word affect your life at 11 AM on a Monday, or at 5 PM on a Friday?
Open your Bibles now to James chapter 2 and let’s join Tom for part three of “God’s Word and My Everyday Life.”
Download the MP3 audio file.
HOPE Episode 128 God's Word and My Everyday Life, part 3 (12.8 MiB, 25 hits)
Or listen online.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
