Sermon Prepared by James McCullen
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Giving Thanks for The Faithfulness of God
James 1:16-18

NASB 
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.     17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures. NAS 		 KJV 
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.   17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. KJV 		 NIV 
16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.    17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.   18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. NIV 

Introduction
I have recent read a book that has changed my prayer life and my quite time. I have been getting up early to have a time of prayer and Bible study. On Wednesday Morning I awoke but I told my self your going to go into the office later today so you can wait awhile to get up. It made all the sense in the world to me until I realized I woke up singing the Old Hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness".

I kind of laughed and said ok Lord your are faithful to our agreed time so I will be also. The song "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is inspired at least in part from this text.
 
 

1.    Deception . . Related to Thanking God for His Faithfulness. v 16

                           "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren."

A.    Deception Related . . Positively. James. 1:13
        13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
 

B.    Deception Related . . Negatively. James. 1:14-15
        14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Illustration
I am reading the Book about the St. Louis Rams star football player Kurt Warner titled All Things Possible. In this bookhe relates the story of his wife's parents being killed in a tornado. They had just retired to Mountain View Arkansas. They had built there dream home and were planning that very night to be baptized into the local church. A tornado took their life.

Kurt's wife Brenda became very angry and ask "how can a God of Love do this'? How can an all powerful God allow this to happen"? Today she understands a little more and her questions have changed.

Application

Most of us would immediately react the same way. This is one of Satan's oldest tricks; to ask those why questions. Well why does God allow evil and suffering? No one fully knows the answer. But the Bible tells us the answer is not that God willed evil or caused evil. Let us not be deceived. Let us give Thanks In All Things for God is Faithful.
 
 

2.    Definition . . Related to Thanking God for His Faithfulness. v 17

        "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.

A.    Definition of Thanks for the . . Giving of Gifts. v 17 a
            "Every good thing bestowed. . . "

VINES 5. dosis ^1394^ denotes, properly, "the act of giving," <Phil. 4:15>, euphemistically referring to "gifts" as a matter of debt and credit accounts; then, objectively, "a gift," <Jas. 1:17> (1st mention; see BOON).# (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
 

B.    Definition of Thanks for the . . Getting of Gifts. v 17 b
            ". . . and every perfect gift is from above, . . . "

VINES dorerna ^1434^, translated "boon" in <Jas. 1:17>, RV, is thus distinguished, as the thing given, from the preceding word in the verse, dosis, "the act of giving" (KJV, "gift" in each case); elsewhere in <Rom. 5:16>. It is to be distinguished also from doron, the usual word for a gift. See GIFT.# (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)

        1.    When is a gift perfect? When it is received.

C.    Definition of Thanks for the . . Guarantee of Gifts. v 17 c
        ". . . coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."

Illustration
In the church I pastored in West Virginia we several families driving over from Marietta Ohio. In One of these families a couple had become good friends with a doctor and his family who were also from Marietta. They had a falling out before I became the pastor but the couple continued trying to be friendly to the doctor and his family.

After we left one of the doctor's daughters got married this couple gave a very nice gift and brought it to the Saturday Night Wedding Ceremony. The next day after church the doctor brought the unwrapped gift to the couple and said we will not accept this gift from you.

Application

It was a good gift but failed to be a perfect gift because a gift is meant to be accepted and appreciated.
 
 

3.    Demonstration . . Related to Thanking God for His Faithfulness. v 18

    In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.

A.    Demonstration Related to His . . Will. v 18 a
            "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth . . . "
 

B. Demonstration Related to His . . Word. v 18 b
        ". . . He brought us forth by the word of truth, . . . "
 

C.    Demonstration Related to His . . Way. v 18 c
        ". . . so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures."

Illustration
Kurt Warner the quarterback for the St. Louis Rams was a process of movements closer to the Lord and His word. He moved like this verse talks about. Understanding the Will of God through the Word of God to live in the ways of God.

Some of you will remember we watched the Super Bowl in the Fellowship Hall. When he was interviewed after the game; in all the excitement the interviewer said "Kurt let's talk about first things first." Kurt said something like this; "All right! I want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for all he has done in my life and the way He brought me to this point in my life."
 

Application

The perfect gift has been demonstrated in the Life of Christ.
 
 

Giving Thanks for A Faithful God He hasDemonstration His Faithfulness

James 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (NAS)