James 2: You may be seated, friends. We are in week two of our fall sermon series, working through the book of James. If you were here with us at all over the summer, we did a series through the book of Revelation. And the book of Revelation, amazing book, incredible book. But the main word that we kept saying about the book of Revelation was context, context, context, capital C, context. If you try to just open up the book of Revelation and be like, I know what this dragon means, and I know what the red horse versus the white horse means on your own, maybe, but no, you don't, just being honest. You need to know the context of that book and the story that it's trying to tell and how it's weaving scripture together. The book of James is a little different. It's a little different. Not much, but a little different. It's also all about Jesus, as all books of the Bible are all about Jesus. But James more walks up to you and you're like, here's your context, and he just kind of pops you in the lip. And you're like, dang, like we had a few people first like, man, this James guy, he's beating me up this morning. I was like, yes, he is. Amen. So, for those of you who's ever read the book of James, tried the book of James. All right. Book of James is called the Proverbs of the New Testament. Proverbs are a book from the Old Testament, it's a book of wisdom. A collection of sayings that you can say to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and it is true for them. It is how you can live your life as a Jesus follower. The Bible says in John chapter 1 that Jesus Christ came into the world full of grace and truth, full of both. To be honest, I think James has grace, but man, he is full of truth. Amen. If you're not amening right now, you will be at the end of this sermon because you are not familiar enough with James. So let me introduce him. James is the half-brother of Jesus Christ. Same mother, different, you know, dad. He grew up with Jesus as his older brother. But he did not believe in Jesus when Jesus was alive doing his earthly ministry. Like, in fact. He actually tried to get his brother essentially thrown into an insane asylum because he thought he'd lost his mind. Anyone else have an older brother? If they just said, I'm the son of God, you'd have been like, You're son of something, but you're I don't know if you're the son of God. Jesus, though, goes around doing these miracles, doing these amazing teachings, and James is like, Nope. Did you hear? Jesus walked on water. Nah, he's not, he's not son of God. Did you hear that 5,000 showed up and all they had was a few loaves and fish? Yeah. It's not doing it for me. Did you hear that your brother walked in on a donkey and it was received as a king? It's not nah, he's not who he says he is. Did you hear the news that your brother was killed? Because James wasn't at the crucifixion, so he would have had to hear secondhand. Honestly, I don't want to speak for him, but he might have thought this is where it leads. You pretend to be God, it leads to you being killed by the religious leaders. The only way that we know that James became a full-fledged believer in his brother wasn't when he was alive and he could capitalize on his fame or his connection with his brother. It was because James saw his brother on the other side of the grave. He saw his brother resurrected and he said, man, I gotta think about this now. And he then grew to become one of the greatest leaders of the early church. Paul lists him as part of the big three. There's Peter, the right hand man of Jesus during his ministry, Paul, who wrote half the New Testament, and the third, just as equal according to the scriptures, is James. The brother of Jesus. And before you're tempted to say, well, that's what got him his fame and notoriety. And so he just kind of went along with it because the Jesus movement was so strong and powerful. The Jesus movement was not strong or powerful at the beginning. The Spirit was strong and powerful, but they had very small numbers. In fact, James, the brother of Jesus, who spent most of Jesus' life denying that he was the Son of God, died by being stoned to death, proclaiming, My brother is the Messiah. My brother is the Savior of the world. I've seen too much. I can't recant. And now we read from his book, his collection of wisdom, and say, What does this man have to say to us today? What is his wisdom that has stood the test of time for over 2,000 years, multiple continents, every language, and has been found, tested to be true? What does that mean for us? As Jesus followers in Dayton, Ohio in 2026. How can we take these words of James and say, if I want to grow to become more like Jesus, I better do what he says? So here's a little bit of a recap and a taste of what the book of James is. So James begins his letter with some niceties, introduces himself, who he's writing it to, the twelve tribes scattered across the nations. Greetings. Good start. Hi. Here's his opening sentence. You ready? Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. If you're reading that letter for the first time and this is just some rando, it's going in the trash. But if this person is who he says he is and he has authority to say this and he has been found true, we better listen to what he has to say. And so that's what we unpacked last week. What does it mean when we find joy? In facing trials of many kind. How can we find joy when we face trials of many kind? And some things that we had to dispel are some falsehoods that are out in the church world, which is if I'm going through a difficult season, if I'm going through a trial, it must be a punishment that I did something wrong. That's not true. It's God abandoned me. Not true. It's something that I can avoid. Not true. Not true at all. In fact, we doubled down and said suffering is the only way to grow up. We said last week that many people who are in church for decades and decades but still act like they're in youth group are because they never grew up. And the only way you can grow up is if you take suffering seriously and you know what to do with suffering, it is The way you grow up and mature, and it cannot be replaced. Suffering the Jesus way, suffering and taking it to God is what deepens your faith like nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing else. Don't run from it, take it to God. Allow Him to change your perspective, and then the joy will follow when you take it to Him. In just a moment, I'm gonna show you an example of what that looks like. I found a video that I saved for this week where what it looks like when you're facing a trial, you're facing a difficulty, you're facing something that could even be long suffering. How do you find joy in the midst of that? Check out the video behind me. Yeah. He will hear me what the time. And delivered that well I Evil. Tá, the hell up. So I think James and our brother Richard would say, consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. Friends, would you stand as we read Scripture this morning? I want to invite Noah, our scripture reader, to come and read. Would you stand for the reading of God's word? We're starting in verse nine. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position, but the rich should take pride in their humiliation, since they will pass away like a wildflower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plants, it blossoms fall, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who preserves under trial, because having stood the test, the person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, When when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desires and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father, coming down from the Father of the heaven heavenly light. Who does not change the shifting shadows, he gives us birth through the word of truth that we might be kind and first fruits of all he created. This is the word of God. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Noah. You may be seated. So at the beginning of this section, James is talking about trials. And then as we began reading that scripture together, all of a sudden he starts talking about people who are rich and poor, and then he switches to back to trials for like two sentences about if you endure, you'll receive a crown of life. Then at one point he talks about temptation, and then he says, Don't be deceived, and then uses language like be born again. Has he changed? Topics? Does he keep like shifting around? Is this multiple lessons in here that are kind of unconnected? We're like, that makes sense, that makes sense, that makes sense, or is there a greater lesson in all of it? Friends, if you have your Bible, just like my Bible, you have these little breaks right here where it might be in bold. And then a space and then a break. It's the way that it was structured when they added chapter and verse was written by monks, you know, primarily during the medieval time, who spent their lives dedicated to studying the scriptures, but wanted to make it easier for the average person to read. And where they put those breaks is after what we read, meaning that that whole section from last week talking about trials and finding joy. Bleeds perfectly into this and is trying to teach us one big lesson. So that's what we need to unpack. What is the big lesson that is connected with trials, temptations, being born again, and not trusting in money, whether we're rich or poor? So has he jumped topics? He has not. Here is why he is saying what he's saying. First, he talks about. These trials. That's what we talked about last week. And then he jumps into believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. What is their high position? A high position, if you're in poor circumstances, is remembering your spiritual reality. That while you might not have two nickels to rub together, you are now a son or a daughter of the king of the universe. That you have a heavenly inheritance. That will never fade away, that moths will never get to, that can never be taken from you. That if you're going through difficult economic times, remember your true inheritance is safely secured. That's what he's saying to those who are poor. Now, to those who are wealthy, he is saying, remember humility, that what you have is a gift from God. And again, your true inheritance isn't how much is in your bank account. Your true wealth is again what also lays up for you in heaven that will never rust or fade. And he says, remember your humiliation. Why remember your humiliation? Because the gift that God has given you in his son in salvation was something you could never buy. Elon Musk, the wealthiest man who ever lived, could never buy. By salvation from God. He could not. In the kingdom of God, Elon Musk with trillions of dollars is worth just as much as the poorest person in the worst slums in the world. That's what James is saying. But he's being actually very practical. It's just kind of missed on us because we live in America in 2026. But outside of America in the last 200 or so years, in a few pockets in between, most people's trials were economic hardships. Even around the world today. Go to the slums of a third world country. They're like, I don't even know if daily bread is coming. Maybe weekly bread. And what James is saying is when you endure those trials, remember that you don't need an economic status. To be worthwhile. You need your spiritual reality to become your earthly reality. Because often trials are economic situations. Not having enough money, not having a job or an underpaying job, not having a home, just not having enough to meet the basic needs for yourself or your family. That's how a lot of the world lives. And we tend to forget that because it's not our lived reality. It doesn't make us bad people, it's just a reminder. When someone in the slums of Uganda is reading this, their situation is different than ours. And he is saying, the poor among you remember your great reward and be joyful and celebrate. James is saying, find your strength to endure trials, tests, and temptations. In your spiritual reality, not your economic reality. Because here's the flip side, this is more for us. Okay? And you're like, I'm not rich. By the world's economy, everyone in this building is in the top single digit percent. Okay? I'm not trying to drive anyone away from the church. I'm just trying to remind us the reality of it. But here's the truth: nothing will tempt you more to think in your heart, I don't need God. Than being wealthy. Nothing. You'll never say it out loud. That's crazy. That's asking for trouble. It is. But in your heart of hearts, you will not need to posterize yourself on the floor and say, God, I haven't had food for three days. We don't need to pray those prayers in here very often. Because of our wealth. The idea of daily bread here is like, well, yes, I might be hungry, but I've passed 10 grocery stores on the way here. What James is saying, don't think stability comes from your wealth, it comes from God alone. Because wealth can be gained and wealth can be lost like that. You can go to bed one night, a millionaire, and the stock market crashes as soon as you wake up. And you could go to bed poor and wake up winning the lottery, and everything in between. Stability does not come from your economic situation. Stability comes from the Lord and the Lord alone. James is pulling from the book of Proverbs here. As we said, James is the Proverbs of the New Testament. The Proverbs of the Old Testament is conveniently just named Proverbs. So if you're ever looking for wisdom, look that up. Here's one of my favorites, Proverbs chapter 30, verses 8 through 9. Keep falsehood and lies from me. Lies like I don't need God because I have enough stuff, I have enough money. I'm actually taken care of. Keep that lie away from my heart. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Don't give me either. But give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, Who is the Lord? I would add, who is the Lord to tell me what to do? Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God. Notice that phrase that Jesus uses so often: daily bread in the Lord's Prayer, daily bread. We don't want to romanticize riches and wealth, and we don't want to romanticize poverty either. We want to make, excuse me, we want to make sure that everyone has what they need so that they can rely on God and God alone. Now As we look around not just this room, but the church, the ecclesia as is described in the Greek, we belong not just to one another, but we belong to a global church. And the global church is made up of the rich and the poor and everyone in between. That is a normal idea to us now. That's not radical to think when I would stand up here and we would do a meal pack. That goes to Uganda or goes to Haiti or whatever. We're like, those are our brothers and sisters. Everyone's yeah, amen. Because we know that to be true. But that was a revolutionary idea on the world stage. Until Christianity comes on the scene and Jesus really brings it out: you were poor because the gods were cursing you, or they didn't favor you, or you were rich. Because the gods have found great favor with you and they've given you fortune. Only Christianity, when Jesus comes around and says, Hey, take care of everybody. Christianity isn't just for the rich and it's not just for the poor. It's for everyone, anytime, because anyone could become rich and anyone could become poor. Our worth is not found in what we have. Our worth is found in who we have. Are you with me? That's where our value comes from. You are valuable as a human being because you are made in the image of God. And what ties us together is who we have as our Savior, as our true treasure. Which means if you're a poor person and you follow Jesus, you have more in common than the with the rich person who follows Jesus than the poor person who doesn't. You could go so far as to add anything to it. If you're a Republican, yes, we're going there, who follows Jesus, you have more in common with the Democrat who follows Jesus than the fellow Republican who doesn't. If you are white and you follow Jesus, you have more in common than your African brother and sister who follows Jesus, than your fellow white person who doesn't. What ties us together is. Isn't any of the external things that we add value to? It's you have Jesus as your savior. That means your brothers and sisters. And in the meantime, when all of us are going through sufferings and trials in this life, don't be tempted to think your economic situation will determine your outcome. There are some things you can't throw money at. This is why he talks to the rich specifically. You can throw money at, if you have a savings account, riding out finding a new job, helping someone out with the loan, being generous. These are things we can and should do. We talk about it every week, but there are some sufferings we can't fix with money. You cannot make a spouse who wants to leave you stay because of money. You can't make them love you because of money. You can't make a child who wants nothing to do with you come home just because you have more money. Ever sat at the bedside of someone in a hospital dying? You can't throw money at that problem. You cannot solve it with money. There is some tragedies and sufferings that we must endure. And again, James is saying it's always and always has been Jesus Christ who is our stability, no matter the suffering. Okay. So he's saying the same thing. Over and over and over again. You're like, gee, Pastor, this whole idea of like not trusting fully in my wealth seems really familiar. I'm you guys are so good at paying attention in Sunday school because it is, it's from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6. This is what he says: this is Jesus. Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart is also. I don't know how you all spend your treasure or like kind of hold on to your treasure. Probably most of us don't have the threat of moths eating our treasure unless you're like a retired pirate and you have like a treasure chest somewhere in your back room and you're like, err, don't get to my treasure chest. Like, yeah, that Most of our money in our hearts aren't so easily tracked, but in today's day and age, you wanna know where my heart is, you know how to figure it out? I would have to hand you my phone and say, Here's my Amazon shopping history. Here's my bank account statement. Here's where my free money goes to. You could even go so far as to say if you had an hour where you could do nothing, where does your heart go to to do with that hour? Not saying that any of it's evil, but it does reflect where your heart is. What you prioritize with your time and with your money shows your heart. Okay, I think we've got that crystal clear now. So then he moves from don't trust in finances to be the ultimate stability in your life, to then he starts talking about temptation, which again feels like a pivot, but it's not. Here's how James 13 through 15. When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when they are dragged away. By their own evil desire and enticed. That word enticed is a hunting term. Hunting, hold on to that. It's a hunting term. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it's fully grown, gives birth to death. Has he jumped again? No. He's talking about the same topic. Think of it like this trials, friends, are things that are external. Things that are happening to you. God, I need prayer for my body, prayer for my marriage, I need prayer for this situation. Like you could chalk that up as a trial, something that you're looking to God to help you with happening in your life. A temptation is what's happening inside your heart. A temptation is where you are tempted to do something that you know is either harmful to yourself, harmful to others, or you're just not supposed to do. But here's the thing that they have in common. Trials external, temptations are internal of the heart. But here's what they have in common. Both will try to take you away from God. How many of us have struggled trusting God because He didn't answer a prayer and saved a loved one? A trial. How many of us have also struggled to trust God because there's a secret sin, a hidden addiction, something that we keep giving our hearts over to over and over and over, and it's blunting the love of God. Both trials and temptations have the same goal of temptation. Taking you away from God. Now here's the thing that James is saying: God is not causing your trial. God is not causing your temptation, but He is allowing it. That's difficult for some people to hear. He is allowing the trial, He is allowing the temptation to give you the opportunity to trust Him with it. And when we trust Him with it is when we grow in our faith. He's giving us opportunities to say, God, I need you because I'm tempted. God, I need you because I'm experiencing a trial of some sort. This whole pattern, though, of that hunting term in verse 14, it says that desire gives birth to sin. Desire met in ungodly ways, gives birth to sin, gives birth to death. And it you were like, okay, like desire, I go about the desire the wrong way, I sin, and then I fall into death. Like that kind of makes sense, it's kind of vague. So let me give you a concrete metaphor that's gonna be the one thing you remember a week from now about this, okay? And you're gonna remember it because you're gonna go, I wish you hadn't said that, but it's gonna stick with you. So okay, you ready? So I said it's a hunting metaphor, right? So we have a guy who works here. Wave. He's not wearing camo right now, but when I asked the question he was. So I was like, you seem qualified to answer a hunting question. And he's like, yeah. So my question was if I was going deer hunting, what's it called when you put out like I said bait. It's not bait. It's a feeder for deer. Yeah, he he laughed so hard at that and I was like, dude, I grew up I I grew up in Centerville, I don't know. He said, here's how it works. If you're hunting for deer, you put out a feeder and you fill it with the food that deer like, what they desire. And then when Bambi's mom is going through the woods, they start eating at that feeder, and they're like, this is awesome, this is great, this is all my favorite foods, just right here. And what Bambi's mom doesn't know is the hunter has her right in his crosshairs. Bang. And then you have the beginning of a Disney movie. I told you, it's the one thing you're gonna remember. The enemy, Satan, is the same way with us. To draw you away from God, he will play on your God-given desires. God has given you desires. And he says, Hey, I'll meet those for you. You don't need God. Don't do God's timing. There's shortcuts, man. I'll give it to you. Which you're like, wait, that sounds like Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Uh-huh. It is. And you're like, Satan doesn't tempt me like that. He doesn't know what I like. yes, he does. Right now, my wife and I are reading through some very depressing parts of the scriptures, like First King, Second Kings, First Kings, Second Chronicles. And it's just like, it's a good king. Then he's not that good. it's a great king. No, he's not that good. And then you're like, back, forth, back, forth. Here's how the devil got every single king, even the good ones, even David, even Solomon, even the priests, everyone to fall into sin. He put out the same thing in their feeder. Some combination of this three: money, sex, power. Money, sex, or power. He might switch it up a little bit, maybe this one caught more than the other. He's not that clever. But it is effective. Money, sex, or power. How many of us have seen someone fall into one of those three? And that's what took them away from God? Money, sex, or power. I heard someone say politicians over here and I was like, Yep. Money sex or power. People who intended to do good. Money sex or power was thrown in front of them and Compromise. Compromise, compromise, compromise. God's not causing the temptation. The enemy is putting out something in your feeder that he knows you desire because God gave you those desires. But he's trying to give them to you in the wrong way. He's trying to give it to you in the wrong way. And here's the problem, friends. Here's the problem. When you fall into sin, at first it seems like, it's just, it's just a little off the top. No big deal, no one will know in the company. It's just this little secret I have over here. It's just this part where I know God's telling me to do it, but I just not now. Just too busy for that now. Just these little, little, little, little, little things that lead to sin. And here's the thing about sin, friends sin takes you further than you want to go and keeps you longer than you want to stay. And say that one more time. Sin takes you further than you want to go. You'll wake up one day and say, How did I get here? I used to be so on fire for Jesus. How'd I get here? keeps you longer than you want to stay. This is what the enemy does over and over and over. How do I know when my desires are being used as a trap? Good question. Glad you asked it. How do I know when my desires are being used as a trap? Here's what James says. Don't be deceived. Same, don't be deceived. My dear brothers and sisters, every good and perfect gift is from above. Coming down from the Father of heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows, he chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created. How do I know when I'm doing the right thing or not? My bookmarker fell out. Read this book. Read it, read it, read it. Study it, study it, study it. Memorize it, memorize it, memorize it. The great lie the enemy has told us is this is a book that God wrote so you wouldn't have any fun. And it's all made up and it doesn't apply to you anymore. This is a book that, yes, has been weaponized by bad people to hurt them. Absolutely. But this book at its heart. Is a way for you as Bambi to get through the forest and not end up in any hunter's crosshairs. This is what this is for. It's not arbitrary. This is saying: here's what true freedom looks like. Here's how to avoid shame in your life. Here is the antidote for a broken heart. Here's what to do when you're going through trials. This book, but that's not what my heart wants to do, Pastor. If no one's ever told you it's because they're selling you something, your heart is a liar. Not all the time, but more than you'd like to know. Your heart will lie to you. You can justify anything if you want it enough. We are currently watching, and I know we're live streaming, so I'm saying this out loud. We are currently watching a worship leader on trial who lied to himself. To get what he thought he wanted. How do you end up there? Your heart will lie to you. Your heart will lie to you over and over and over. If you don't check your desires through this book and default to this book, you are leaving yourself open to be lied to by yourself. Well, I don't want to do it. You should. If it tells you to do it, do it. it's not telling me to do that. Then don't do that. If your heart in the Bible contradict, do what the Bible says. Just saying it up front. Do what the Bible says, not where your heart says. Bring your heart into alignment with it. Quit cutting out pieces of the Bible to make it align with your heart. Your heart is a mixed bag on its best days and a liar on its worst. Don't be deceived by the enemy, don't be deceived by your heart. God will never lie to you. That's what he's saying. Let's use that example. Let's go back to the money example because we've been talking about that a lot. We have been hearing that over and over. Let me ask you a few questions. Is it wrong to have money? No. Is it wrong to be rich? No. Doesn't the Bible say that money is the root of all evil? That's not what it says, actually. That's not what it says, actually. Carefully read it. It comes from 1 Timothy 6. 10. Watch this for the say that again, I didn't hear you. it wasn't having it, it's loving it. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Love of money. I know several people who've had $2 in their bank account. Who love money more than God. It's not about how much is in your bank account or how little. It's do you love God more than money? That's the question. And then you will be pierced with many griefs if you love money more. Why? Because idols always crush their worshipers. Only God, only Jesus. Protect your heart and put it back together again. Every other God, if you love it more, will crush you. Every other if you love money more than God, it'll crush you. If you love sex more than God, it'll crush you. If you love power more than God, it will crush you. You are in for disaster, and this book is saying, wake up and avoid it. So, how do we do that? Everything that God gives you is what you need, is what James is saying. Everything God gives you is a gift. Jesus talks about this. He says, If one of your sons asked for bread, would you give them a stone? And all in the crowd's like, No, duh, I wouldn't do that. Then he says, okay, like if one of your children asked for a fish, would you give them a stake, a snake? And everyone's like, No. Why would I do that? And he says, And you, being imperfect parents, know this to be true. How much more is your heavenly father, who is perfect, gives you everything you need? So everything God gives you is what you need. It just may not be what you want. When he allows you to go through trials, when he allows you to be tempted, it's a gift because this is how he will grow you up. This is how he'll sharpen your wisdom. This is how you'll be able to teach others, don't do that. Or do do this. That's how you learn. That's how you grow and mature in wisdom. Again, it's not a random list of rules of don't do this, don't do that, and then you're lame if you do it. No, this is how to have the good life. You're trying to protect your children. Anyone a parent in here? Don't touch the stove. Why? First off, I said so is enough of a reason. Second, because it'll burn you. But if you choose to do it, we saw this happen in our household. Our son was like getting a little close, he felt the heat, and then now his baby sister was coming along. He was like, Don't do that, Hannah. Cause he knows. Because he knows. So every good and perfect gift comes from God from above. Here's the thing, friends, the problem with that is we just don't like the wrapping paper. We don't like the wrapping paper. God give me patience. Boy, he'll give you an opportunity to be patient. God, I want to trust you more. I want to give you everything. And it may lead to a job loss. It may. Not that he caused it, but he allows you to go through it and you're like, this isn't what I asked for. What you asked for is inside that. What you asked for is inside resisting that temptation, going through that trial and taking it to him. What you've been praying for could be found. In that hardship, in that burden. You just don't like the wrapping paper. So we go back to what we talked about last week. You ignore it, you scream into the void about it, you distract yourself, you wallow in it. Instead of unwrapping it and saying, Is there something hidden here that is a gift? Let me give you kind of a hokey example because the serious ones would be a little too serious. So let me give you a silly one. This is very true though. Joined a gym. The same one that my wife goes to, not to brag, it's going pretty good. And no one laughed at that one either. I thought that was funny. But anyways. It's not, it's okay. It's fine. But I have been preparing for James, and as I was preparing for this one, there is an individual in my workout class who I think is very annoying. I'll just say that like that. Okay, perfect people. You don't get annoyed in the world. Okay. And I'm just like, ugh, like, ugh, great. Ask Melissa, she knows it's true. And I'll just like just run about it. And I'm literally working with like a barbell, and I hear in my head this verse, when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and it drags us away. That I was like, right now I'm being tempted to really dislike this person. And do y'all ever do this? You try and get God on your side when you're annoyed at that person. It's not so perfect after all. And I truly, truly was like, there's no way. I had a moment of clarity, God's not on my side on this. He's there's no way he's cool with this. And I was like, God, maybe you're trying to teach me patience. And sure enough, every day when I go in the parking lot, I'm like, just give me patience for this. And I have found that I'm not only more patient in the gym, I am more patient outside the gym. I'm learning to say, God, I am depending on you instead of being tempted to tear down who I know is I'm not gonna say the gender, brother or sister in Christ. Instead of being tempted to tear them down, I'm like. Maybe there's something in me that you need to work on that I need to give over to you. And wouldn't you know it? Earlier this week, we were partners. Could not have been nicer and more encouraging. You're about that big. It's an opportunity to say, if I'm being tempted even with these little things, God, how can I resist big things? Turn it over to God. You might not like the wrapping paper, but the gift inside is precious. Now let me close it with this. This last part, this last part only applies to some of us in here, okay? This last part only applies to those of us who have either fallen into temptation, who have sinned, Or who have made a decision that harmed yourself or others. If that's not you, you have full permission to take out your phone and check your fantasy lineup, okay? But if that is you, this next part of James is the gift. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. I think what James is reminding us is that all of us need to be born again. And all of us need to remember who died to give us that birth. Maybe you've never come to that place before where you've accepted Jesus as your. Personal Lord and Savior and experience that new birth. He's reminding us the way out of temptation and sin and death and trials is ultimately through Jesus alone. And maybe it has been a while since you've been handing it over to Jesus. Remember your birth. Remember what he died for. Remember who he died for, who he wants to make you into, and let his truth, let his word wash you clean once again. So my encouragement is from James, friends, if you have found in this season of life that you have fallen into consistent sin and temptation, confess it. Don't hold on to it. Give it to the Lord. Let him make you new. You don't need to carry it forever. He is gracious and kind and loving. That's what we read last week and is still true here. Trials, temptations will try and take you away and cause you to forget that God is good and he loves you. If this has been a particularly difficult season, you're like, I know there's this thing in my heart I'm being consistently tempted on. Give it to him. Let him make you new. Feel like you've been born all over again. I'm gonna invite Casey to come forward and close us out in our last song. And as she's coming, I wanna invite all of us. If you're if you've got your prayer journal from last week, or maybe you're like on your notes app or something, here is a prayer prompt I wanna invite all of us to wrestle through because James is a lot to process. And I don't want us to just skip over it and just go right to lunch. And everything just goes. So take a moment. Here's the prayer prompt. God, what temptation is pulling me away from you? This is between you and him. And here's a prayer. Give me wisdom to recognize it, to resist it, and courage to become more like Jesus. I'm gonna pray over us and give us some time to process with the Lord before we stand and sing. Father, we thank you that every good and perfect gift is from above. That you do not shift like shadows, that you don't get tossed around like waves on the sea, that you don't come and go like money, that you don't come and go like people who have wounded us or hurt us, or even our own hearts that deceives us. You are the one foundation. That is strong enough to build a life on. May we continually turn our temptations and trials over to you, to have you meet our needs each and every day. I pray that for myself. I'd pray that for my brothers and sisters here. And all God's people said. Amen.