1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Well, howdy. I was really tempted to go with the gospel message today and have a bunch of one-eyed people trying to escape from hell, but, you know, next time, next time, we'll tackle that one. 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:22,000 You know, I wanted to look a little bit at the epistle lesson, you know, being able to see James. This is our last time of looking at James this time around. 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:32,000 And it reminded me of the idea of hanging out with people, hanging out with friends, hanging out with acquaintances, throwing parties at your home. 4 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:42,000 And I know that all of the introverts are having heart attacks as I say that. But, you know, oftentimes we find opportunities to be able to spend with each other. 5 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:48,000 And it's always fascinating what ends up happening whenever you're spending time with people that you know. 6 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:55,000 I found it interesting some of what has happened at times whenever I might have a party or hang out at my place. 7 00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:01,000 I've had two friends decide that they were about to have a fistfight in a den. 8 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:06,000 I've had people tell me that they had feelings for me, not all women. 9 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:11,000 I've had times where I will come back later and discover things are missing. 10 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:20,000 There's a straw hat that my grandfather left me that I still cannot find. And two of my DC comic book figurines have been missing for like a year now. 11 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Batman and Mr. Freeze are fighting somewhere. 12 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:31,000 And, you know, it's anybody's guess whether or not like who like unwraps the ping pong paddles that I had in there. 13 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:38,000 I have no idea. Or whether or not at the end of the night anybody will be helping to clean the dishes or not. 14 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:44,000 The thing is that whatever may end up happening, that's not really the focus of being there. 15 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:55,000 You see, having that time with people, it's not really about trying to figure out if something happy is always going to happen or you're going to somehow fix things. 16 00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:02,000 But rather just being in that relationship with people. That's what ends up mattering the most. 17 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Because hanging out, parties, it's not for some selfish benefit or because of the activities that you do. 18 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:17,000 I used to think that. I used to try to set up game stations around my place all the time thinking this is going to make the best party. 19 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:24,000 But in reality, it was always just about the relationships, the people, the connections. 20 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:29,000 And what's interesting though, whenever you spend time hanging out with people and you have those connections, 21 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:35,000 what's interesting is all the things that end up happening while you're there together. 22 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:43,000 Sometimes you end up discovering different types of restoration, new ideas that you had never thought of until you talked to your friends, 23 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,000 new friendships that you made because somebody brought someone that they know, 24 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:51,000 new plans for what you all want to do together in the future, 25 00:02:51,000 --> 00:03:01,000 or even times where you discover that either you need to forgive somebody else or you need them to forgive you. 26 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:09,000 And all because whatever situation we may be in, we're there restoring that relationship. 27 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:15,000 Because that's the thing about relationship is that it isn't based on one type of situation. 28 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,000 It's there no matter the situation. 29 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:26,000 But whatever situation we do find ourselves in, are we willing to still do the same with God? 30 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Are we willing to come to God in all circumstances? 31 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Whether we pray, whether we praise, whatever it is, are we always willing to come to God with whatever we are experiencing in our life? 32 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:51,000 See, different people will oftentimes have different things that cause them to think about coming to God. 33 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:57,000 There are those who want to spend their time just venting at God, to God, 34 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,000 oh, I can't believe all that you did and oh, I can't believe that you failed me in these ways, God. 35 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:07,000 Because somehow everything is God's fault and they want to somehow have somebody to blame. 36 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:12,000 There are those who are always thinking about what they need. 37 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:17,000 I need this. I want this. Give this to me, God. 38 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:22,000 Or even the ones where they can only go to God when things are good. 39 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:28,000 And they can only seem to talk to God whenever everything seems to be fitting into place. 40 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:35,000 But the trouble is, is that when we only focus on one part of our relationship with God, 41 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,000 we end up not only losing a part of that relationship on our side, 42 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,000 but we end up distorting the parts that we do have. 43 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:49,000 If we end up spending all of our time trying to figure out what God can give us, 44 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:56,000 then do we take God away from being somebody that guides us, leads us, and shows us who we're meant to be 45 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,000 and just turn him into a vending machine? 46 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,000 If we end up spending our time just venting about things, 47 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:07,000 do we somehow lose the sense that we need to take responsibility for life 48 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:12,000 but also realizing how many blessings God has given us 49 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000 and the times when he wants to restore things. 50 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:21,000 Or the times whenever all we can do is think about the times that are joyful 51 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,000 and whenever things are not going the way we hoped, 52 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,000 somehow we don't seem to think that there's a relationship with God 53 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,000 whenever things are not going well. 54 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,000 But that's the thing about relationship, 55 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,000 is that it exists throughout all of these. 56 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:41,000 I've been seeing a lot of this, experiencing this, 57 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:48,000 but what brought it to mind was looking at the way that James put things in his epistle. 58 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:53,000 Because what he ends up doing is he keeps throwing in there, praying for healing, 59 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,000 along with finding forgiveness 60 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:02,000 and starting to realize you look at all the things that he's listing about the different reasons to come to God 61 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:08,000 and realizing that they do all end up coming together. 62 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:14,000 And I've seen that a lot more especially lately because of things with my sister. 63 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 The cancer came back. 64 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,000 They found it very small. 65 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,000 It's in the lungs now. 66 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,000 But they've removed everything that they've seen so far. 67 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,000 One of the things that's been hard with this 68 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:38,000 is the times whenever she's asking questions that I don't have answers for. 69 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:45,000 Because oftentimes we may end up struggling to deal with that relationship 70 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,000 because of what we end up seeing. 71 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:52,000 See, there are times whenever struggles can end up causing doubts in our faith. 72 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Things aren't going the way we were hoping, 73 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:01,000 and maybe we end up seeing, did somehow, did all these things are happening? 74 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Does God actually still care? 75 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:10,000 Is he still there? Do I still have a part in his plan when this is happening? 76 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:16,000 Or sometimes even wondering, did I not believe enough? 77 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:24,000 And did I end up causing something because of something that's my fault? 78 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:30,000 Or even wondering, is the world just broken? 79 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:35,000 The fact that we are in a place where we can't seem to exist without polluting everything, 80 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:39,000 we can't seem to ask questions of what we should do in our world 81 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,000 instead just asking what we can get paid for, 82 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,000 and then we can't do whenever we just hurt each other just because we can. 83 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:51,000 And then other times when there is no answer, 84 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:56,000 and that's so hard because in reality nobody knows. 85 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:06,000 Nobody knows why these things happen, and in these circumstances, how do we respond? 86 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:15,000 One of the things with it though, is that the first time seeing what was happening with my sister, 87 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,000 to this time, has been drastically different. 88 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,000 And why is that? 89 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Because time and time again, what we end up hearing from her over and over is whatever it is, 90 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:37,000 whatever it will be, God will bring me through. 91 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,000 That's something that we take for granted until we're facing it. 92 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:47,000 And sometimes we may face something at first and we don't know how to say that. 93 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:56,000 But then sometimes God still allows us to hear that message loud and clear. 94 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,000 All these things that are happening, 95 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:05,000 no matter what, it's still this point of, are you willing to come to God? 96 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Not just for the idea of healing. 97 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,000 We hope and we pray for the healing. 98 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,000 We have every reason to trust that it will happen. 99 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:17,000 The doctors are on top of it, the treatment is being planned out. 100 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:22,000 But also more than that is that we do know and believe that God has purposes for her. 101 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:27,000 And more than that, is that he is still her hope of salvation. 102 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,000 But you see, in many ways, we as the church, 103 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:37,000 we forget that the way to be affirmed in that is through each other. 104 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,000 James brings us out very, very clearly. 105 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:45,000 And he points it out to us and that's something that we cannot take for granted. 106 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:50,000 You know, whenever we try to bring somebody back to God, 107 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,000 is that there are different ways that that may need to be faced. 108 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Sometimes we emphasize the men and the women and the different opportunities there are for fellowship, 109 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,000 just to gather together. 110 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,000 Because spending that time with each other, reconnecting, 111 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:12,000 is a chance to speak into each other's lives, to strengthen each other, to encourage each other, 112 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:17,000 and to hear what is happening at times when maybe we don't share it otherwise. 113 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:25,000 But also, it may turn out that we needed to be restored to our friend that we didn't even realize. 114 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,000 The times whenever we emphasize our small groups, 115 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 because if we're not spending time in God's Word, 116 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:39,000 it is amazing what we kind of make up in our heads about who we think God is and what we think God is doing. 117 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,000 But when we spend time with each other, reading through God's Word, 118 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:50,000 and seeing what it is that He says, we see that He reveals Himself in all of these circumstances, 119 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:57,000 whatever they may end up feeling like, joyous or struggling. 120 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:02,000 But another thing is that we've had to refocus what we do with our care, 121 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,000 with our elders, with our spiritual welfare, 122 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,000 to know that there are people that will check up on you, 123 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,000 to make sure that there are deacons who will check to see, I haven't seen where you are in a while. 124 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,000 How are you? What's happening in your life? 125 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,000 Talk with me. 126 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:23,000 But also, to know that there are elders, because for whatever reason, 127 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:28,000 y'all ended up calling a sinful, fallible person to be your pastor. 128 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:36,000 And as hard as it is to believe, if it's just me by myself, I do not always make perfect choices. 129 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:45,000 So having people that will talk things through and try to keep me in line a little bit. 130 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:51,000 But all of that together, this is also why we commune together. 131 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:55,000 See, the thing is that when people come together to commune, 132 00:11:55,000 --> 00:12:02,000 it's not because we've gotten it all figured out, and we're now at the highlights of our relationship with God, 133 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,000 but rather it's because Christ Jesus has come to restore us, 134 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:12,000 and that whatever place we may find ourselves in, we are all at this table together. 135 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:20,000 And that's the idea of what we want to do when restoring somebody else. 136 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:28,000 Because what I always found interesting in this passage is the idea of saving someone's soul, 137 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:33,000 and covering over a multitude of sins. 138 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,000 Why is it that that stands out to me? 139 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Because I always wondered whose soul it truly was. 140 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:50,000 It says, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death, 141 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:54,000 and will cover a multitude of sins. 142 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:59,000 And you may think, hey, you've helped to restore the person who had walked away from God, 143 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,000 and you're helping them to find their place of forgiveness. 144 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:10,000 But I always wondered, are we really sure that his is that sinner, 145 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:15,000 or could it be ourselves that James is referring to? 146 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:22,000 Because oftentimes in the Restoration, is that we oftentimes face that we were the ones who stumbled the most. 147 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,000 We were the ones who failed them in the first place. 148 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,000 I was listening to some people with the link Houston. 149 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,000 It's connected with entrepreneurship through the Lutheran church. 150 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:41,000 And one of the people at the meeting was talking about having food services as a part of their ministry. 151 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:51,000 And she said, whenever we cook, then we are not mad at each other anymore. 152 00:13:51,000 --> 00:14:00,000 Because it's amazing that when we eat together, when we work together, when we serve, when we spend that time, 153 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:05,000 is that maybe the thing that we were so upset about wasn't really that big of a deal. 154 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:08,000 And the water just flows under the bridge. 155 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:17,000 Or other times, with that person right there, we are willing to come up and say, I need your forgiveness. 156 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:24,000 Because I failed. And then to be restored again with that person. 157 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:29,000 So that's where we find ourselves as we come to the end of our time with James. 158 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:35,000 Faith is not just something that we keep in our head. Faith is in how we live. 159 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,000 It's in everything that we say and everything that we do. 160 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:47,000 And so as we come together, may this be a time where we are restored with one another. And that we are strengthened. 161 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:55,000 Not just to walk alongside each other and to help with the times of healing and strength that they may need. 162 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:01,000 But also that together, we come back to the cross to say, God, I am a sinner. 163 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,000 And I need your forgiveness today as always. 164 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:14,000 Thank you for restoring me to yourself and to your people. In Christ Jesus. Amen.