Following Jesus Son of God …

• That is what the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, is about. Remembering the gospel. Every time we take the bread and the cup we remember and we proclaim the Lord’s death.
• In our text this morning we find Jesus, the light of the world, facing the deep darkness of humanity and the spiritual forces of wickedness. Through the dark night, both literally and spiritually, through betrayal and disappointment, isolation and loneliness, and sadness to the point of death, our Lord confronted the land of darkness spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah.
• Alone. No one beside him. The fury of the battle between the deep darkness and the Great Light had scattered his disciples like terrified children.
• So what message did Jesus have for these men who had run for their lives but would soon return in great love and faithfulness and devotion?
• His message to them: This is all you have. This is all you need. Now and in the centuries to come: this is all you have, this is all you need. The blood of the covenant. His blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. They were to build on the finished work of Jesus Christ and nothing else.

The Blood Promise!

Solid Rock (or sinking sand … our choice)!

• My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
• On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.

My Faith Has Found A Resting Place

• My faith has found a resting place, Not in device or creed, I trust the ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead.
• I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.

What is your hope built on? Jesus gives us a “blood promise” in our text this morning. He makes a new covenant and signs the agreement with his blood.

What work could a human ever add to that?

Message Title: The Blood Promise!

Message Text: Matthew 26:17-56

• PDF The Blood of the Promise : Matthew 26-17-29 : ffc : dave scott : 031316 AM STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF The Blood of the Promise : Matthew 26-17-29 : ffc : dave scott : 031316 AM STUDY SHEET TWO

“Catch Up” Week for Audio …

This is my catch up week for the audio. You don’t want to miss the two messages by Pastor Ervin McNeill (Pacific Garden Mission Chaplain) from this past Sunday. They are brief. Too brief. Most of us agreed that we could easily have listened for an hour. Good stuff.

And there is my stuff for the previous two Sundays.

Scroll down. You will find what you are looking for.

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Pastor Ervin McNeill / Morning Worship / Faith Fellowship / March 6, 2016

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Pastor Ervin McNeill / Sunday School / Faith Fellowship / March 6, 2016

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Dave Scott  / The Lips of a Priest Should Guard Knowledge / Malachi 2

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Dave Scott / James Study / LESSON 13: Patient Farmers / James 5:7-12

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Dave Scott / James Study / LESSON 14: The Prayer of Faith / James 5:13-20

Why do we assume that when we become sick that God would want to heal us? Where do we get the information upon which we base that assumption? Could we be operating on man-made principles, human rules-of-the-game, that actually oppose the work of God in our lives?

Each of us needs to ask, “Why am I asking God to heal me?” Is it possible that God knows that we need this illness or injury? Is he that wise?

• (Psalm 119:67 ESV) Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh. Paul did not heal everyone around him, even those close to him in ministry.

So why do we think that God has this great desire to heal us? Do we ever ask “why”? As in, Why do we want to be healed? Will I better carry out the will of God? Am I concerned for the purposes of God?

Or could it be that I just want to get on with “MY” life? And … if God is a good God, which he says he is, then he had better take care of me and heal me!

So … Why am I asking God to heal me?

And … What does God really promise?

Message Title: The Prayer of Faith!

Message Text: James 5:13-20

• PDF LESSON 14 : The Prayer of Faith : James 513-20 : ffc : dave scott : 022116 STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF LESSON 14 : The Prayer of Faith : James 513-20 : ffc : dave scott : 022116 STUDY SHEET TWO

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From Preaching the Word: James—Faith That Works …

Amy Carmichael, the turn-of-the-century missionary to India, described the attempted healing of one of her treasured coworkers, a woman named Ponnammal, who contracted cancer in 1913. Amy was, of course, aware of James’ prescription to call for the elders of the church to anoint the ill and offer the prayer of faith, but she and her fellowship were not sure what to do. So they sought a sign asking that, if it was God’s will, he would send someone to them who was earnest about James’ prescription for healing. The person came—an old friend of hers from Madras. As her biographer Elisabeth Elliot describes it:

• It was a solemn meeting around the sickbed, the women dressed as usual in their handloomed saris, but white ones for this occasion. They laid a palm branch across Ponnammal’s bed as a sign of victory and accepted whatever answer God might give, certain that whether it was to be physical healing or not, He would give victory and peace. It sounds like a simple formula. It was an act of faith, but certainly accompanied by the anguish of doubt and desire which had to be brought again and again under the authority of the Master.…  From that very day Ponnammal grew … worse. The pain increased, and her eyes grew dull as she lingered for days in misery until she reached her limit and her “warfare was accomplished.”1

Prima facie James’ directions did not “work” for Ponnammal, the faithful servant of Christ. Honesty demands that we admit that such is often the case when Christians attempt to follow this Scripture. Why is this so? How is it that two believers become ill and both call for the elders of the church, both are anointed, both are prayed over, yet one dies and the other is healed?2 Are we all to follow James’ prescription? How are we to apply this Scripture in the church today? We hope to answer these and similar questions as we consider The Divine Prescription for Healing in the church.

[Hughes, R. K. (1991). James: faith that works (pp. 253–254). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.]

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Do we believe that Jesus is coming again?

We are supposed to neither complain nor argue. God tells us. He wrote it down in his “Book” very clearly.

• (Philippians 2:14 NIV84) Do everything without complaining or arguing.

And … we are supposed to never grumble, especially against one another.

• (James 5:9 ESV) Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

So I believe that it would be safe to say then, that grumbling, complaining and arguing are sins.

Unless it’s me. Or one of my family members or friends. Or probably not if it’s you either. You’re a pretty good person. (Not really but let’s roll with this.)

Have you ever noticed how some things that God describes as sin that we change the meaning, or at least change the application? Have you noticed that?

If someone else spreads that rumor it is gossip, so shame on them. However … if it is me or my friends, or family, then it’s different. (Of course it’s not but this is what we say it is so it must be so. Right? Seems right to me. And my friends agree.)

It is like we are on the “friends and family” plan with the wireless phone company. We have unlimited minutes for grumbling, complaining, arguing and gossiping.

So I can grumble and gossip and it’s okay, but don’t you dare grumble or gossip. Haven’t you read what God says in his holy “Book” the Bible. I will whip those Bible verses on you like ugly on a monkey.

FOR WAY TOO LONG we in the Church of Jesus Christ have turned a blind eye to the way we relate to the people around us, especially fellow believers, especially the way we speak to and about one another.

FOR WAY TOO LONG we have made this acceptable. “That’s just the way it is.” Right? You’ve heard it. We frail, flawed, humans have given our “Christian social acceptance” to this downgrade of Gods divine teaching as to how we speak to and treat one another, but God has not changed anything in his Bible.

What was sin 2,000 years ago is still sin! What was harmful to his Church 2,000 years ago is still harmful today.

So when are we going to let the word of God penetrate and quit making excuses?

HERE IS THE IRONY: The very things that we grumble and complain about are the things that God tells us that he uses to produce precious fruit in our lives. This is his work of sanctification.

• (Ephesians 5:26–27 ESV) That he [Christ] might sanctify her [us–the Church], having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

We are going to look so good. We will be stunning beyond our imagination. But he does this work through the difficult things of this life that drive us to his grace.

Jesus is coming again. We wait, hope, believe, trust and patiently allow the Lord to accomplish his mighty work in our lives. Amen and amen!

Are you with me on this? 🙂

Message Title: Patient Farmers!

Message Text: James 5:7-12

• PDF LESSON 13 : Patient Farmers : James 5-7-12 : ffc : dave scott : 021416 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF LESSON 13 : Patient Farmers : James 5-7-12 : ffc : dave scott : 021416 : STUDY SHEET TWO

There is no explicit good news in our text this week, at least not in the first six verses. James delivers a scathing condemnation against a class of people who exalt themselves above anyone and everyone else. And for that God will judge them in all severity. No peace offered. No resolution. No call to repentance of sin or confession of sin. Only the fiery blast of judgment.

So what does this mean to us?  Patience. James begins the next section calling us to patience.

• (James 5:7a ESV) Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. 

Be patient. Trust God. Jesus is coming again. So do not succumb to the oppressiveness of life. Don’t take it out on your brothers and sisters in Christ. Know that one day all things will be made right. We do not wish this on people, but we do take comfort in God’s justice.

In this God calls us to a calm assurance and a confident hope.

Message Title: The Coming Miseries of the Oppressive Rich!

Message Text: James 5:1-7a

AUDIO:

No good news in this text. None. All condemnation.

So what do we (I) do? What is a preacher to do? 🙂

God has given me a sense of adventure when it comes to regularly preaching his word. Adventure and perspective. I love God’s word. I love preaching through a book of the Bible. And when I am confronted with a text such as we have this week, I understand this method of exposition more and more. God is leading the way. God challenges me to trust him and believe him.

There is no explicit good news in our text this week. It is scathing condemnation against a class of people who exalt themselves above anyone and everyone else. And for that God will judge them in all severity.

So what do we do with James this week? Withering condemnation to the oppressive rich. But no peace offered. No resolution. No call to repentance of sin or confession of sin. Only the fiery blast of judgment.

What do we do? What do I do? I preach the word. I trust God with the harvest. Amen.

Message Title: The Coming Miseries of the Oppressive Rich!

Message Text: James 5:1-6

• PDF LESSON 12 : The Miseries of the Oppressive Rich : James 5-1-6 : ffc : dave scott : 020716 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF LESSON 12 : The Miseries of the Oppressive Rich : James 5-1-6 : ffc : dave scott : 020716 : STUDY SHEET TWO

“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

What if …

What if we allowed God to set the agenda and determine our priorities? What if we didn’t push and shove for our ideas? What if we sincerely sought the will of the Lord with all of our decisions on the church board, as a congregation … Get the point? If we sincerely desire the agenda of God (aka the will of the Lord), then we will not fight for our agendas. So easy.

No more church fights now, right?

I was in a church several years ago where I would beg the guys on our board to seek the Lord first in our decisions. I don’t know that this ever happened. We always had in mind how certain individuals in the church–three women especially–would react to our decisions. Make the wrong decision, which it seems we did often per our three women, and there would be “hell to pay.” And I don’t mean that as slang or rhetoric but as the spiritual dynamic that occurs when we speak against each other in our pride and hand the keys of the church to the devil.

Back to James … 

What if we genuinely brought everything before God? Will we do this perfectly? No. Do we have the ability to do this well? Yes. Do it faithfully? Yes. Will God bless? Yes.

Message Title: “If the Lord Wills!”

Message Text: James 4:13-17

AUDIO:

The connection …

How does this section connect with the previous? That was my initial question. I am very familiar with this week’s text. Our lives are compared to a vapor or mist, making sure we look to the Lord’s will, the sin of omission, etc.

But how does it connect in the flow of the context? And, then, when I saw the link, I couldn’t believe how plain and powerful it was.

Earlier in the letter, James compared earthly wisdom to wisdom from above. He very pointedly spoke to the reasons that we as believers in Jesus Christ sometimes fight and quarrel.

And that is where we find the connection with this week’s text. Underlying much of our fighting and quarreling are our wrong desires. We want the wrong things and fight over the wrong things.

What if …

But what if we allowed God to set the agenda and determine our priorities? What if we didn’t push and shove for our ideas? What if we sincerely sought the will of the Lord with all of our decisions on the church board, as a congregation … Get the point? If we sincerely desire the agenda of God (aka the will of the Lord), then we will not fight for our agendas.

So easy. No more church fights now.

This is not ruling out application of this principle to our lives as individuals. Of course, each person needs to seek God’s will. How far we take that into our day-to-day routine, I am not sure. As in … Do I have cereal or bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning?

Here is a very realistic application: Do I pray with my wife or husband as to how we spend our money? Guys, do we just go out and buy new tools or hunting equipment with no regard for the wishes of our wives? Ladies, do we go on a shopping binge because we can?

Back to the church …

I was in a church several years ago where I would beg the guys on our board to seek the Lord first in our decisions. I don’t know if that ever happened. We always had in mind how certain individuals in the church–three women especially–would react to our decisions. Make the wrong decision, which it seems we did often per our three women, and there would be “hell to pay.” And I don’t mean that as slang or rhetoric but as the spiritual dynamic that occurs when we speak against each other in our pride and hand the keys to the church to the devil. He does stalk about looking for church people to recruit and devour for his purposes.

So back to James … back to our context … 

What if we genuinely brought everything before God? Will we do this perfectly? No. Do we have the ability to do this well? Yes. Do it faithfully? Yes. Will God bless? Yes.

Message Title: “If the Lord Wills!”

Message Text: James 4:13-17

• PDF LESSON 11 : If the Lord Will! : James 4-13-17 : ffc : dave scott : 013116 : STUDY SHEET ONE
• PDF LESSON 11 : If the Lord Will! : James 4-13-17 : ffc : dave scott : 013116 : STUDY SHEET TWO

SUNDAY SCHOOL:

LESSON 3: God’s Word: Learn It, Live It, Love It!

Preface continued->Chapter 1

MP3: 

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MORNING WORSHIP:

Message Title: Draw Near to God, You Sinners!

Message Text: James 4:7-12

MP3: