October 31, 2019
Continuing the collection This Changes Everything, Ben Stuart explains how James presents the Word of God — how it changes us from the inside out and how important it is to understand the freedom that comes from the Scriptures!
Scripture References
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the
Lord
.“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
19My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror
24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
3
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8
Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9Then Jesus said,
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11He told them,
“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12
so that,
“ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’
”
13Then Jesus said to them,
“Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14
The farmer sows the word.
15
Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16
Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17
But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19
but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20
Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.