Introduction

James 1:5-8 ESV  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  (6)  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (7)  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (8)  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• We are now on our fourth sermon on these handful of verses!
  • If you are new here to CLC, this is what we do here, we preach through scripture.
    • We prayerfully pick a book to preach through and then preach through it line by line, verse by verse, chapter by chapter.
    • Sometimes we preach on half a verse, sometimes on half a chapter… but in James we have found it so chalk-full of goodness that we are really seeming to take our time.
    • This is our 6^th sermon in James and we are only 8 verses in, praise God!
  • And for these verses, verses 5-8, this is actually our 4^th sermon on these verses.
    • We talked about the importance and power of asking for Wisdom, right that came from verse 5 “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously.
    • We then talked about the power of the prayer of faith… that if we would pray in faith God would answer our prayer, that came from the first half of verse 6 “But let him pray in faith with no doubting.”
    • Then we had a sermon about the limits of the prayer of faith.
      • Faith is not some magic spell that grants you whatever you want, but Godly prayers of faith produce Godly and miraculous results.
    • And finally, today, we are going to focus on verses 6-8, we are going to talk about the downfalls of being double minded, that is, being a Christian with little to no faith… but we are also going to focus on the victory and stability that living a Single Minded life will bring.

• Single Minded – Victory, Stability, Faith
  • If we are double minded, if we are faithless Christians, we will find defeat and will be unstable… but if we live a life of faith, then we can expect a life of victory… a stable and blessed life.
  • Now our key verses this morning are verses 6-8… let’s read those again…

James 1:6-8 ESV  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (7)  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (8)  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• Now I read verse 5 before for context, but I really want to focus on these three verses this morning.
  • And I can tell you, as a pastor I have seen this kind of instability, this kind of defeat… played out so many times, in life after life, family after family…
    • People who come to church, who serve on Sunday, who do the Christian things… but they don’t have solid faith… they have one foot in the church and one foot in the world… they are tossed around from one theory to another, one wind of doctrine to another… like waves in the sea they go from believing this, to believing that, to doing this, to doing that…
      • And it always ends the same way… an unstable tower will always fall and crash, and so it is with an unstable life.
• Today if I can help you find the faith to live life as a faith filled Christian, I mean REALLY live a faith filled life, a believing life… if I can help you do that, then I will have succeeded in helping you find victory and stability, let’s get into it.

Point One – Single Mindedness Brings Victory

James 1:7 ESV  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

• So we know that living with doubt, living as a faithless, feckless Christian produces defeat.
  • Victory comes from Jesus, right, we know that as believers… and if you are not receiving anything from Jesus… well then you aren’t receiving any victory.
  • But if you can be of one mind… the mind of Christ… if you can stay laser focused on Christ and His working, church I am telling you that you will find Victory.
    • Not just a single victory either, but a lifetime of victory followed by an eternity of victory.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:13 ESV I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Deuteronomy 20:4 ESV For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

Psalm 108:13 ESV With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 ESV “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

• Now to find victory in Christ you must be single minded.
  • And when I say “single minded” I mean that your life, your mind, your thoughts… they are all focused on one thing.
    • Your not scatter brained, thinking about this task, and that anxiety, and this goal, and that problem.
    • No, you are focused, trained in on one task, one thought, one mind.
    • Yes you still have problems and tasks that need to be thought through… but your thought process is always the same, it is always focused on the same thing.
  • When you are a single minded Christian, you have decided in your heart that God is real, that heaven is real, that hell is real, that sin is real, that forgiveness is real.
  • You know that Jesus really was born of a virgin some 2000 years ago, and really died on the cross.
    • You know that He was buried, and three days later rose again.
    • You know that he appeared first to the disciples and then to thousands more.
    • That He gave us a great commission, to go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them.
    • And you know that He ascended into heaven and is interceding for you and me at the right hand of the father, even now as I speak.
  • When you know these things, that God is real, that every word in His Bible is real, that He loves you, knows you, and has a mission for you.
    • WHEN YOU REALLY BELIVE THESE THINGS, NOT DOUBTING, BUT REALLY STEPPING OUT IN FAITH TO SAY “YES, I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS! NO TURNING BACK”
      • When this is your mind… when you are SINGLE MINDED ON THIS FACT!
        • Then you will begin to live a life of victory.
• And what you will find dear saints, is that your victory conditions will change… What you consider to be victory will change.
  • When Amanda and I were first married we were living in a beautiful Condo in Bellevue Washington, one of the most beautiful and high-end cities in the world.
    • I had a great job, better than I probably deserved… that paid more than I get paid now.
    • With benefits too, great benefits…
      • And I was on track to get promotion after promotion, my career was set.
      • Financially I was better off than most young men my age.
        • To many this would seem like victory… a smoking hot wife, a great home, a great career… And I had found it so young.
          • But that wasn’t victory for me… that is what the world thinks of as victory…
          • But it wasn’t victory for me… that was just a holding pattern… because I knew that God had a calling for me, a mission for me, I knew I was called, just as all of you are called, to go and make disciples…
          • And I wasn’t doing that, not to the full extent God had called me to… so it wasn’t victory for me… I was simply waiting on the Lord as He had told me prophetically to do…
        • Then, when the opportunity came and God said “Give up your career, leave your family behind, take your wife and move to Cedar Rapids, IA, and plant a church”
          • I said “SEND ME! I WILL GO!”
      • And Amanda and I were SINGLE MINDED about it.
        • Some people get a calling from God and they are double minded about it… they think “How can I do what God asked and also continue my career? How can I make money and also honor what God has asked me to do?”
          • No that’s double mindedness.
        • Amanda and I never ONCE thought about the money, even though it meant taking a 50% pay cut and living a much lower standard of life.
        • Even though it meant giving up our health insurance and other benefits.
        • Even though it meant leaving the safety net of family and friends.
        • NONE OF THAT MATERED, WE WERE SINGLE MINDED.
      • We knew that God would take care of us, of course we did…
        • It is double mindedness to have the faith to believe God is calling you to do something but not the faith to believe that God is going to protect you and provide for you when you do it.
      • BE SINGLE MINDED AND FIND VICTORY!
        • TRUST IN THE LROD AND DO AS HE ASKS!
          • THE VICTORY WILL COME.
• And again, the victory is not the victory that the world thinks of, your victory conditions change when you come to Christ.
  • No longer is money and power and career success a victory for me, I am a new creation in Christ… even what I consider VICTORY is new inside of me.
    • Now I see victory every time someone raises their hand to give their life to Jesus.
    • I see victory every time I see two people from the church praying together.
    • When I see meal trains set up for people in the church in need, that’s victory.
    • When I see the church show up to hospital and hospice rooms to pray, and worship, and comfort those who are grieving… THAT’S VICTORY.
    • When I ask for prayer requests from the youth group and they pray “Let my whole school be saved!” WHAT FAITH! THAT IS VICTORY.
  • EVER SINCE WE HAVE STARTED THIS CHURCH WE HAVE FOUND NOTHING BUT VICTORY! AND SATAN I AM TIRED OF YOU TELLING ME OTHERWISE! WE HAVE FOUND VICTORY IN JESUS!
• Now listen, I am not saying that you should go and quit your job… there is always someone who hears this message and thinks “Pastor told me to quit my job! I don’t have to work I am just going to evangelize full time!”
  • No, you have to work, the Bible commands it… MEN MUST WORK AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILY, PERIOD.
    • But it is to say, that if God has called you to something, and the time to go to that something is now, don’t let money be a deciding factor.
    • YOU WILL FIND VICTORY!
• But maybe victory seems so far off for you in your life… maybe victory is just a foreign concept… maybe you are so used to defeat and chaos that your life is just in shambles.
  • Maybe you are not even seeking victory this morning… maybe you are just simply seeking some stability…
    • Then point two is for you.
• Single Mindedness Brings Stability.

Point Two – Single Mindedness Brings Stability

James 1:6-8 ESV  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (7)  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (8)  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• He is a double minded man… unstable in all his ways…
  • Oh dear saint, if you could just learn, that stability does not come from finances, relationships, or family
  • Stability does not come from prestige, or honor,  or importance…
  • Stability does not come from good jobs or successful hobbies…
  • And stability certainly does not come from whether or not you think your pastor likes you!
    • I wish that was a joke, but I have seen people shipwreck their lives because they let the devil convince them that Amdanda and I don’t like them.
      • That offense turns into offenses against the church…
      • Which turns into offenses against Christians in general…
      • Which turns into offenses against God.
      • Which ultimately creates a double minded person who shipwrecks their life.
        • Pro tip, church, there’s only like two people in this church that I don’t like, and your not either of them…
        • It’s pastor Jared and pastor Mike…. Those guys are thorns in my side.
      • But seriously, I did not leave my job and family in Seattle to move all the way to Iowa just so I could be mean to you. I LOVE YOU and always will.
      • Be single minded!
  • Don’t let finances, careers, family, relationships, or how you think other people think of you dictate your life… that is a quick way to instability.
  • Instead, serve God with all of who you are, believe Him, trust in Him… and simply keep taking life one step at a time… keep moving forward in Christ and you will begin to find stability.
• Man I know a lot of people… knowing people is a big part of my job… and I can tell you, the people with the most stable lives are the ones who are SOLD OUT TO JESUS.
• I think about people like Stacey and James, Kat and Jimmal, Shana and Moses…
  • And I have seen the world throw SO MUCH stuff at these couples… yet I have seen them remain unshaken, and stable…
  • They are like giant cruise ships in the middle of a storm… you can’t even feel the waves on a cruise ship…
  • While the unfaithful are like little row boats on those massive waves…

Matthew 7:24-27 ESV “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

• What does this mean?
  • It means the same storm that hits the unfaithful hits the faithful…
    • But one of them has stability… the other comes crashing down.
    • One is single minded… building the house on the rock…
    • The other is double minded… wanting a house like the faithful has, but also wanting to be partying on the beach like the unfaithful does.
    • One finds victory
    • One finds defeat.

Show “Cruise-Ship-Row-Boat.jpg”

• The same storm that capsizes and sinks a rowboat is almost unnoticeable to the cruise ship.
  • I want to be the mighty cruise ship, with mighty wave correcting ballasts, unshakable, steady on it’s path…
  • I don’t want to be in the row boat being tossed from wave to wave.

James 1:6-8 ESV  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  (7)  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  (8)  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• I don’t want to be driven and tossed by the wind.
  • I want to be focused, steady, stable, VICTORIOUS.

Joshua 24:15 ESV  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

• I love this verse in Joshua because Joshua is saying PICK A SIDE!
  • If serving the Lord seems evil, then fine, go worship false Gods… at least be single minded against Him.
  • But as for me and my house, we have chosen a side! We will serve the Lord!
• Listen, you can have victory, you can have stability! CHOOSE THIS DAY TO SERVE THE LORD!
  • Choose to be single minded.
  • Choose to obey God and everything He commands…
    • And stay on track, stay laser focused, stay full of faith…
      • Then watch as the drama fades…
      • As the crisis sting less and less…
      • And you life settles into the plan God has for it…
      • As storms come, but don’t effect you like they used to.
    • Man I have seen storms hit everyones life… but the single minded people are the ones who make it through.
  • BE SINGLE MINDED. Find the Victory, Find the Stability, Live by Faith church!

Conclusion

• I want to conclude by addressing anyone who is not saved, then I will address those of you who are saved but are struggling to find victory and stability.
• So, if your not a born again Christian let me talk to you for just a minute… everyone close your eyes and bow your heads…
• maybe you need some victory and stability in you life… it starts with choosing to follow Jesus.
• Gospel Call
• Everyone look up… I want to take a moment to minister to anyone who is saved but is struggling to find victory and stability.
  • You need to be single minded… you need to have the mind of Christ.
  • 1 Corinthians 2:16 makes a very interesting point…

1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV  “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

• For who has understood the mind of God? His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts… all of this is true, but then Paul makes this shocking revelation, Never-the-less, we have the mind of Christ.
  • Church family, you need to be single minded, you need to have the mind of Christ.
    • For with it you will find victory and stability no matter your situation.
    • In wealth and in poverty.
    • In sickness and in health.
    • In prosperity and adversity.
    • In times of peace and times of persecution.
      • If you have the mind of Christ you will find victory and stability…
  • If you don’t have the mind of Christ… it’s time to pray according to Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 ESV  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Aaronic Blessing