The Perfect Gift by Brother Duke Hansen

             This morning our scripture is going to be in the book of James. The 1st chapter of James to be exact. James lays out something profound that goes along with what was spoke about at length this past Sunday regarding getting rid of your vices. If you are content in your self-righteousness and continue to intermingle with the world, God will leave you alone to it. If you want to daily convince yourself you are fine based on feelings rather than lining up to the word of God, you will be turned over by God. 

        God gives believers all the answers needed in the scripture, but too often our flesh prefers compromise than confrontation. There are a lot of denominations and churches this mornings ducking and dodging the hard truths throughout the Bible to appease the flesh and not offend carnal sensibilities. We are going to start reading in verse 17 of James chapter 1.

        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.

        Good thing to start with in reading isn't it? Everyone likes gifts, especially good ones. Most pulpits would stop here and build their message from it, leaving everyone excited. We are going to back to verse 1.

        James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

        2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.

        Here's the first capital T truth which you aren't going to hear in some places. Regardless of where you are in your walk, you will still be going through temptations due to Adam's flesh. No matter how much of the Holy Spirit you get, there will still be temptation. You are the main problem to your problems.  Now to verse 3.

        3 Knowing this, that the trying go your faith worth patience.

        Patience is the solution to your problems. Temptations will try and test your faith. You can refer to the listing of those under the sin tax to begin with, and then expand out to feelings such as anger, jealousy, strife, gossiping for starters. Some of us think we should treat our church brothers different than the world and that is the wrong train of thought. There should be no change in how we treat anyone. 

        4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

        This is the path toward perfection. Two types of gifts listed in verse 17. There are good gifts and perfect gift from above. The perfect gift is what re-directs you onto the correct path. Patience will always guide you and show that way, but our flesh has a tendency to shorten or cut off patience stay. The flesh chooses to control above all, and leads us to vent our emotions in public. There has been this conventional wisdom that it's good to get your problems out and in the open. A lot of times we need to be quiet and keep things to ourself. Not every feeling needs to be spoken out loud.

        5 If any if you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

        Let's look at that lacking wisdom in the flesh. That can be boiled down to statements like "I don't understand!" or " I don't know what God wants me to do!" You need to ask God humbly for wisdom and not the world. The temptation will test your faith where it shows if your faith rests in God or in the world. One of the biggest deceptions we tell ourselves as Pentecostals is that proclaiming having the Holy Ghost somehow covers our sins. As was said last week, you could be saved, baptized, and Holy Ghost filled and still miss the mark. Stop looking for fault and blaming others in the midst of your temptation. 

        6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

        7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 

        If you are seeking God, then handle things with him guiding you and not go out and seek the world's help. God won't do what your flesh seeks. 

        8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

        We have the tendency to mingle and balance our flesh's will with that of God's. You cannot serve yourself and God. A good example of man of flesh vs. man of faith is praying on a situation or a person but then you can't bridle your tongue in public and you spout ignorance, gossip, and back bite. It's like a believer stating their health is in God's hands and he's sovereign, then they go and hit up doctors, clinics, to get better.

        9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted.

        Every single living soul has problems this morning no matter their designation, title, or rank. Rich or poor it makes no difference. This walk we are on has many mountains and valleys. To flatten the landscape and make the walk easy is death. Danger is going from the path of righteousness to self righteousness. You need to praise and exalt God in your low state. 

        10 But the rich, it that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 

        It doesn't matter how much land is possessed or money is in the savings account, it is not yours or mine. We are merely stewards over what we have. God doesn't look, dream, obsess, or crave for status like man does. He doesn't place a premium on those who have more than others because he sees the low lifted high and high fallen low on the same measure. In the end, your perspective in life determines whether or not you are productive. In your line of work or profession, was it something you thought about doing when you were young? Or did God open a door for you? God opens doors for us to walk through on our own accord. If we have the perspective that our job is a burden, we are losing out on blessings. Let's go to verse 12

        12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

        When you are able to remove yourself from your emotions, stand on the outside and see the cycle of repentance, prayer, sin, fall away, come back to the faith. You see the cycle and and you break it, then you can finally grow in him. You have to ask for help believing in order to have it fulfilled. Going back to the man that endures temptation when he is tried, James is speaking about our faith. Receiving the crown of life that is the heavenly reward when we overcome the temptation. When you overcome temptation it means you do not do that any longer. If you have no crown of life you have no salvation. What does the Lord say to do if you love him? Keep his commandments. 

        14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

        15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

        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.

        What God gives us is good and perfect. He is steady and he doesn't turn or waver. He will to take your temptation away from you. Neither is he a shadow of turning because he is the Father of lights. 

        18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

        Look at that again. It isn't being publicly belligerent or obnoxious. It isn't being confrontational with those of differing opinions. Those are not first fruits of God, they are the ignorance of the word. How does God want his children to act on earth? Let's see with verse 19.

        19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

        20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

        21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

        Those are hard for the flesh to do. swift to hear? Most of us have selective hearing at best. Slow to speak? How guilty are most of us to pop off an opinion without anyone asking for it? Slow to wrath? Too many Christians believe in an eye for an eye or vengeance is mine thought process, neglecting to see it is in God's hands and not ours. We are called to be peaceable.

        Patience overcomes temptation. Ask for wisdom if you need it. Love patience like its your new best friend. Patience is a perfect gift from God.