Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.
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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - How To Know If You're Really Saved | August 3, 2025
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- From the pulpit of the first baptist church
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- Of dallas, texas,
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- This is "pathway to victory" with dr. robert jeffress.
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- Hi, i am robert jeffress,
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- And welcome again to "pathway to victory."
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- If someone like a detective were to examine your life,
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- Would they find enough evidence
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- To convict you of being a christian?
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- It's a sobering question, isn't it?
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- Well, that's exactly the kind of spiritual examination
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- We're going to undertake
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- As we begin a brand new study in the book of james.
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- You see, james believed that authentic faith
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- Always reveals itself through our actions,
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- And today, we're going to discover
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- Why good works matter more than you might think.
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- My message is titled, "how to know if you're really saved"
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- On today's edition of "pathway to victory."
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- ♪ many are they increased that troubled me ♪
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- ♪ many are they that rise up against me ♪
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- ♪ many there be which say of my soul ♪
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- ♪ there is no help for him in god ♪
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- ♪ but thou, oh lord are a shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter of my head ♪
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- ♪ thou, oh lord are shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter of my head ♪
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- -♪ but thou ♪ -♪ but thou ♪
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- ♪ but thou, oh lord are a shield ♪
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- -♪ are a shield ♪ -♪ are a shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter of my head ♪
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- -♪ but thou ♪ -♪ but thou ♪
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- ♪ but thou, oh lord are a shield ♪
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- -♪ are a shield ♪ -♪ are a shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter of my head ♪
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- -♪ but thou ♪ -♪ but thou ♪
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- ♪ but thou, oh lord are a shield ♪
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- -♪ are a shield ♪ -♪ are a shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter of my head ♪
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- ♪ but thou, oh lord are a shield for me ♪
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- ♪ my glory and the lifter ♪
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- ♪ of my head ♪
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- ♪ of my head ♪
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- (applause)
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- Where there's genuine faith,
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- There will always be visible fruit.
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- In his brand new book,
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- "how to know if you're really saved,"
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- Dr. robert jeffress helps you take stock
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- Of the evidence of your faith,
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- The spiritual fruit in your daily life.
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- This outstanding verse-by-verse walk
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- Through the book of james
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- Will help you cultivate the spiritual fruit
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- That reflects genuine faith.
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- Request "how to know if you're really saved"
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- When you give a generous gift
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- To support the ministry of "pathway to victory."
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- ♪ music ♪
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- Many of you may have learned to share your faith
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- Through the program called "evangelism explosion."
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- It was developed by the late dr. d. james kennedy,
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- Pastor of the coral ridge presbyterian church,
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- And in that method of sharing your faith,
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- Dr. kennedy suggested there are two questions
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- You can ask somebody
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- To determine their relationship with god,
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- Whether or not they're truly saved.
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- The first question's very simple,
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- Have you come to the place in your life
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- Where you know with absolute certainty that if you died,
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- God would welcome you into heaven?
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- Now, a non-christian will say,
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- "well, i hope so," or "i think so."
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- Well, no, eternity's too long to be wrong.
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- If you're really saved, you know that.
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- The second question is even more informative,
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- You can ask somebody,
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- If you were standing before god
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- And he were to ask you,
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- "why should i let you into my heaven?"
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- What would you say?
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- And 99% of the people you ask that question to will say,
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- "well, i would say because i keep the 10 commandments,"
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- Or "i live by the golden rule,"
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- Or "i attend church"
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- Or "i got baptized."
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- They will point to some work or works they have done
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- And yet we know the right answer to that,
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- We read it a few moments ago,
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- Ephesians 2:8-9 says,
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- "for by grace you have been saved through faith,
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- And that not of yourselves, it is a gift of god,
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- Not as a result of works lest anyone should boast."
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- But does that mean god doesn't care about our actions?
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- God's disinterested in our works?
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- Does god not care about what we say,
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- And what we think, and how we treat other people?
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- Such an idea is preposterous, good works do matter.
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- In fact, the st. paul who wrote those words
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- In ephesians 2:8-9 also added a verse, verse 10,
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- About the place of good works in a believer's life.
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- He says, "for we are his workmanship,
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- Created in christ jesus for good works,
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- Which god prepared beforehand
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- So that we would walk in them."
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- Paul says in verses eight and nine,
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- "we are not saved by our works,"
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- But he adds in verse 10,
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- "we are saved for good works."
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- You see, the apostle paul believed
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- That good works without faith leads to spiritual death,
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- But james, as we're going to see today,
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- Says faith without works is a dead non-existent faith.
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- How do you reconcile those two statements?
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- Martin luther, the great reformer, said it this way,
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- "faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone."
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- Where there is genuine faith,
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- There will always be visible fruit.
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- If there is no fruit, if somebody lives their life
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- And there is no spiritual fruit,
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- It means there is no saving faith.
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- That is the message we're going to unpack
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- Over these next weeks
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- From the letter we call james.
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- If you have your bibles,
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- Turn to james 1 beginning with verse one.
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- First of all, an overview of the book.
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- Who is the author?
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- Well, that seems to be a simple question
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- When you look at verse one,
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- James, a bondservant of god
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- And of the lord jesus christ,
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- To the 12 tribes who are dispersed abroad.
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- Who's the writer of the book?
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- Well, he says at the beginning,
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- This is kind of like an email, you know, in our letters,
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- Does anybody still write letters?
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- But if you write a letter,
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- You sign your name at the end of the letter,
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- And so, if you receive a letter,
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- You have to flip through the pages and see who sent it.
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- Well, in james day, in the first century,
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- They would put their name at the top of the letter,
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- The sender and then the recipient,
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- Kind of like our emails today.
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- So james identifies himself,
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- James wrote this letter, right?
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- Well, that's right, but the problem
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- Is there are at least five different james
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- In the new testament
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- And we have to decide which one we're talking about.
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- On your outline, i've listed the five james in the bible.
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- First of all, there's james, the father of judas.
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- Did you know there were two apostles named judas?
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- Jesus had not just one but two.
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- There's the bad one, judas iscariot,
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- But then there's another judas.
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- By the way, wouldn't you have hated to be the other judas?
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- Can you imagine spending your life going around saying,
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- "i'm not that one, i'm the other one.
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- I'm the other judas."
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- Well, the other judas,
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- The good judas had a father named james
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- And we know nothing about him,
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- So that's probably not the writer of this letter.
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- Secondly, there was james, the son of alphaeus.
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- He was an apostle.
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- He was the brother of matthew,
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- But we don't know a whole lot about him
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- Other than what we find in matthew 10:3.
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- And then thirdly,
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- There's a james who was known as james the less.
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- Isn't that a horrible name for somebody?
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- James the less, the younger.
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- We really only know one thing about him that was,
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- He was a follower of christ
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- Who was there at the crucifixion
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- According to mark 15:40.
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- And then fourthly, you've got james, the brother of john.
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- He too was an apostle.
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- In fact, he and his brother
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- Were both called the sons of thunder.
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- Something about their personality gave them that nickname.
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- They were both sons of zebedee, james and john.
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- We know that james, by the way,
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- This james was the first apostle
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- To be martyred for his belief.
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- He was beheaded under the order of herod agrippa i.
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- And then the final james
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- Is the one i believe is the writer of this epistle.
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- He was known as james the just,
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- Not because he was equitable and fair,
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- But because he was a righteous man.
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- He's mentioned in galatians 1:19,
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- But i did not see
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- Any of the other apostles paul wrote
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- Except james, the lord's brother.
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- That's the writer i believe of this letter,
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- The brother, to be technical, the half brother of jesus.
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- What do we mean by the half brother of jesus?
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- Well, let's look at james, the brother, for just a moment.
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- We all know mary and joseph had a son,
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- Their first son named jesus, right.
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- He was the son of mary.
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- Mary was his biological mother.
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- Joseph was his legal father, but not biological father.
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- The holy spirit was the father of jesus.
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- But what people don't realize
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- Is that joseph and mary
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- Had a number of other children after jesus.
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- They had boys and girls,
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- And they had them the old fashioned way.
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- Some faith traditions teach the perpetual virginity of mary,
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- That she remained a virgin.
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- No, she didn't remain a virgin,
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- She had many children.
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- Where do we find that in scripture?
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- In matthew 13:55-56,
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- The critics of jesus were saying,
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- Who is this guy who's claiming to be the messiah?
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- Is it not the carpenter son, joseph?
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- And is not his mother called mary,
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- And his brothers james, and joseph,
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- And simon, and judas, and his sisters,
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- Are they not all with us?
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- Where then did this man come up with these things?
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- There's a listing there,
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- The sons and daughters that mary and joseph had together.
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- Now, we've looked at james, the brother.
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- Let's look at james, the pastor.
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- And as i said, from the earliest days of the church,
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- It's evident that peter
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- Was the beginning leader of the church at jerusalem
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- And john was his associate pastor.
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- But somewhere, that began to change
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- Because when we come to acts 12,
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- James was the recognized leader of the church at jerusalem.
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- You say, how do you know that?
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- Well, remember in acts 12
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- When peter was miraculously released from prison
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- And he went to the home of john mark
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- Where the other believers were praying for peter's release
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- And he appeared to them, told what had happened,
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- And he sent word to make sure
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- That they told james what had happened.
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- Why james?
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- Because he was the leader of the church.
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- Thirdly, james, the writer,
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- We've really talked about this
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- And i don't have time to pursue it.
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- There are only two candidates
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- Really for the authorship of james.
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- One is james, the apostle who's the brother of john.
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- The other is this half brother of jesus.
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- I believe when you compare the greek style used
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- In the epistle of james with james speech in greek
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- That is written in acts 15,
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- There are similarities there
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- That really argue for the half brother of jesus
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- Being the author.
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- Now let's look at james, the martyr.
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- As i said, he became pastor probably in ad 44.
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- He served as pastor until 62 ad when he was executed.
- 00:14:08.804 --> 00:14:12.841
- Now, we don't have any biblical record of his execution,
- 00:14:13.943 --> 00:14:16.378
- But we have secular recordings of it.
- 00:14:16.378 --> 00:14:19.715
- Now let's look at james, the letter.
- 00:14:19.715 --> 00:14:22.985
- It was probably written in ad 44
- 00:14:22.985 --> 00:14:26.055
- And notice that it's written
- 00:14:26.055 --> 00:14:27.690
- To the 12 tribes that are dispersed.
- 00:14:27.690 --> 00:14:31.694
- It's a reference to jewish christians.
- 00:14:31.694 --> 00:14:34.964
- He wrote to jewish christians
- 00:14:34.964 --> 00:14:36.799
- Who had been dispersed from jerusalem
- 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:39.301
- To other parts of the roman empire.
- 00:14:39.301 --> 00:14:41.403
- Now, a couple of things i would say about this letter,
- 00:14:41.403 --> 00:14:44.907
- First of all, it's very application-oriented.
- 00:14:44.907 --> 00:14:48.978
- There are 108 verses in the letter of james, 54.
- 00:14:48.978 --> 00:14:53.449
- Half of those verses are commands.
- 00:14:53.449 --> 00:14:56.285
- For every verse of biblical content,
- 00:14:56.285 --> 00:14:59.555
- There is a command, an application to make.
- 00:14:59.555 --> 00:15:03.625
- This is about faith in action.
- 00:15:03.625 --> 00:15:06.829
- It's also interesting
- 00:15:06.829 --> 00:15:08.063
- That james uses more figures of speech,
- 00:15:08.063 --> 00:15:11.333
- More analogies than paul does
- 00:15:11.333 --> 00:15:14.103
- In all of his letters combined.
- 00:15:14.103 --> 00:15:16.505
- James is a preacher.
- 00:15:16.505 --> 00:15:17.806
- He's trying to be practical and clear.
- 00:15:17.806 --> 00:15:20.576
- Now, what is the purpose of james?
- 00:15:20.576 --> 00:15:23.412
- At the root of james is a desire
- 00:15:23.412 --> 00:15:25.881
- To produce spiritual maturity in people.
- 00:15:25.881 --> 00:15:29.551
- You find the word perfect throughout the bible.
- 00:15:29.551 --> 00:15:32.488
- He's not talking about flawlessness,
- 00:15:32.488 --> 00:15:34.857
- He's talking about maturity.
- 00:15:34.857 --> 00:15:37.593
- The word perfect,
- 00:15:37.593 --> 00:15:38.861
- The greek word means to be mature, complete,
- 00:15:38.861 --> 00:15:42.698
- They were spiritually stunted in their growth.
- 00:15:42.698 --> 00:15:46.301
- Are you moving closer to christ every day
- 00:15:46.301 --> 00:15:49.972
- Or are you moving farther away from christ?
- 00:15:49.972 --> 00:15:52.274
- It's the direction james is concerned about
- 00:15:52.274 --> 00:15:55.911
- And he talks about spiritual maturity.
- 00:15:55.911 --> 00:15:58.847
- Now, let's look at the topics in the book of james.
- 00:15:58.847 --> 00:16:02.818
- Our friend chuck swindoll says
- 00:16:02.818 --> 00:16:05.087
- That all scripture can be divided
- 00:16:05.087 --> 00:16:07.056
- Into one of two categories.
- 00:16:07.056 --> 00:16:09.425
- Scripture is either talking about the way to god,
- 00:16:09.425 --> 00:16:13.595
- How to be right with god,
- 00:16:13.595 --> 00:16:15.097
- Becoming a christian,
- 00:16:15.097 --> 00:16:16.465
- The way to god, or secondly, our walk with god.
- 00:16:16.465 --> 00:16:21.670
- James fits under the latter category.
- 00:16:22.438 --> 00:16:24.907
- It's not about the way to god,
- 00:16:24.907 --> 00:16:26.708
- You'll never find out how to be saved
- 00:16:26.708 --> 00:16:28.977
- By reading the letter of james,
- 00:16:28.977 --> 00:16:31.080
- But it's talking about our walk with god
- 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.682
- After we're saved.
- 00:16:33.682 --> 00:16:35.350
- And james says, if you are truly saved,
- 00:16:35.350 --> 00:16:38.787
- There's going to be evidence of it.
- 00:16:38.787 --> 00:16:40.589
- There's some tests that you need to apply to your life.
- 00:16:40.589 --> 00:16:44.560
- By the way, paul said the same thing in corinthians.
- 00:16:44.560 --> 00:16:47.496
- He said, "test yourself
- 00:16:47.496 --> 00:16:49.698
- To see if you are really in the faith."
- 00:16:49.698 --> 00:16:52.501
- First of all, our response to trials.
- 00:16:52.501 --> 00:16:55.671
- Do trials in life, which are inevitable,
- 00:16:55.671 --> 00:16:58.273
- Do they drive you closer to god or further away from god?
- 00:16:58.273 --> 00:17:02.277
- James says, "consider it all joy, my brethren,
- 00:17:02.277 --> 00:17:05.080
- When you encounter various trials,
- 00:17:05.080 --> 00:17:07.649
- Knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance."
- 00:17:07.649 --> 00:17:11.887
- Secondly, a test is your response to temptation.
- 00:17:11.887 --> 00:17:16.325
- God tests us to strengthen our faith.
- 00:17:16.325 --> 00:17:19.461
- Satan tempts us to destroy our faith.
- 00:17:19.461 --> 00:17:22.364
- "let no one say," james 1:13-14,
- 00:17:22.364 --> 00:17:25.567
- "let nobody say when he is tempted,
- 00:17:25.567 --> 00:17:27.803
- 'i'm being tempted by god'
- 00:17:27.803 --> 00:17:29.805
- For god cannot be tempted by evil
- 00:17:29.805 --> 00:17:32.374
- And he himself does not tempt anyone."
- 00:17:32.374 --> 00:17:35.144
- Thirdly, another test, our obedience to the word,
- 00:17:35.144 --> 00:17:38.647
- James 1:22, "prove yourselves to be doers of the word
- 00:17:38.647 --> 00:17:43.085
- And not mere hearers who delude themselves."
- 00:17:43.085 --> 00:17:47.189
- Some people have deluded themselves into thinking
- 00:17:47.189 --> 00:17:49.591
- If they possess a certain amount of knowledge
- 00:17:49.591 --> 00:17:52.127
- About the bible,
- 00:17:52.127 --> 00:17:53.729
- Or if they keep hearing good sermons over and over again,
- 00:17:53.729 --> 00:17:56.398
- Somehow that makes them spiritually mature.
- 00:17:56.398 --> 00:17:59.868
- No, it's not hearing the word,
- 00:17:59.868 --> 00:18:02.538
- It's hearing and doing the word,
- 00:18:02.538 --> 00:18:05.140
- Isn't that what jesus said?
- 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:06.642
- "everybody who hears my word and" what?
- 00:18:06.642 --> 00:18:10.045
- "acts upon it is like the person
- 00:18:10.045 --> 00:18:13.015
- Who built his house on the foundation, on the rock."
- 00:18:13.015 --> 00:18:17.686
- Our obedience to the word.
- 00:18:18.253 --> 00:18:19.588
- Fourthly, our attitude toward the wealthy.
- 00:18:19.588 --> 00:18:22.658
- My brethren, don't hold your faith
- 00:18:22.658 --> 00:18:24.660
- In the glorious lord jesus christ
- 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:26.828
- With an attitude of personal favoritism.
- 00:18:26.828 --> 00:18:29.498
- James is going to talk about how we treat the wealthy
- 00:18:29.498 --> 00:18:33.135
- And how we treat the poor.
- 00:18:33.135 --> 00:18:35.070
- It's not what we believe,
- 00:18:35.070 --> 00:18:36.972
- It's what we believe and apply that matters.
- 00:18:36.972 --> 00:18:41.310
- Next, he says, our speech is a good test
- 00:18:41.310 --> 00:18:44.846
- Of whether we're saved or not.
- 00:18:44.846 --> 00:18:46.949
- When you go to the doctor, what does he do in an exam?
- 00:18:46.949 --> 00:18:50.252
- The first thing he does,
- 00:18:50.252 --> 00:18:51.787
- Stick out your tongue and say, "ah."
- 00:18:51.787 --> 00:18:55.123
- Why is he interested in your tongue?
- 00:18:55.891 --> 00:18:58.160
- Because that little strip of mucus membrane
- 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:01.330
- Is an indicator of the physical health,
- 00:19:02.164 --> 00:19:04.600
- The health of the rest of your body.
- 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:06.635
- James says the same thing is true about our speech,
- 00:19:06.635 --> 00:19:09.871
- Our tongue, our speech is an indicator
- 00:19:09.871 --> 00:19:12.608
- Of whether we're saved or not.
- 00:19:12.608 --> 00:19:14.810
- That's a survey of what we're going to be looking at from james.
- 00:19:14.810 --> 00:19:18.614
- Now, i want to leave you with two applications today.
- 00:19:18.614 --> 00:19:21.550
- One, and i want you to write it down,
- 00:19:21.550 --> 00:19:23.752
- Courtesy of martin luther, "faith alone saves."
- 00:19:23.752 --> 00:19:28.757
- I don't want anybody to leave today confused
- 00:19:28.757 --> 00:19:32.394
- About the role of faith and works.
- 00:19:32.394 --> 00:19:35.731
- We are saved by faith in god's grace,
- 00:19:35.731 --> 00:19:39.501
- Not by our works.
- 00:19:39.501 --> 00:19:42.104
- I told you about the big hubbub they had,
- 00:19:42.104 --> 00:19:44.706
- The council of jerusalem determining whether gentiles
- 00:19:44.706 --> 00:19:48.443
- Could believe in christ without becoming jews.
- 00:19:48.443 --> 00:19:52.681
- Could you become a christian without being circumcised
- 00:19:52.681 --> 00:19:56.285
- And keeping the jewish law?
- 00:19:56.285 --> 00:19:57.853
- And some said, "no, they've got to come through judaism."
- 00:19:57.853 --> 00:20:00.822
- Others said, like peter,
- 00:20:00.822 --> 00:20:02.324
- "no, they ought to be able to come to christ directly."
- 00:20:02.324 --> 00:20:06.428
- And so, they had this meeting,
- 00:20:06.428 --> 00:20:08.130
- And at the end of the meeting and the disagreements,
- 00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:11.867
- Peter said this in acts 15:11,
- 00:20:11.867 --> 00:20:14.436
- "but we believe that we are saved
- 00:20:14.436 --> 00:20:17.272
- Through the grace of the lord jesus
- 00:20:17.272 --> 00:20:20.642
- In the same way as they gentiles also are."
- 00:20:20.642 --> 00:20:25.881
- And then james stood up.
- 00:20:26.381 --> 00:20:28.150
- He made a speech and he came to this conclusion
- 00:20:28.150 --> 00:20:30.652
- In verse 19, james said,
- 00:20:30.652 --> 00:20:32.387
- "therefore, it is my judgment
- 00:20:32.387 --> 00:20:34.823
- That we do not trouble those gentiles
- 00:20:34.823 --> 00:20:38.360
- Who are turning to god from among the gentiles."
- 00:20:38.360 --> 00:20:41.563
- In other words, it's not the works,
- 00:20:41.563 --> 00:20:43.999
- It is the grace of jesus that saves them.
- 00:20:43.999 --> 00:20:47.336
- James believed that faith alone saves.
- 00:20:47.336 --> 00:20:50.972
- But the second principle i want you to write down is this,
- 00:20:50.972 --> 00:20:54.209
- Saving faith is never alone.
- 00:20:54.209 --> 00:20:57.546
- And that's what james was saying in verse 26 of chapter two,
- 00:20:57.546 --> 00:21:01.049
- "for just as the body without the spirit is dead,
- 00:21:01.049 --> 00:21:04.753
- So faith without works is dead."
- 00:21:04.753 --> 00:21:08.423
- And by the way, the apostle paul
- 00:21:08.423 --> 00:21:10.992
- Agreed with that statement as well.
- 00:21:10.992 --> 00:21:13.662
- Remember, in galatians 5:19-23,
- 00:21:13.662 --> 00:21:17.032
- He said, "now the deeds of the flesh,
- 00:21:17.032 --> 00:21:20.035
- The deeds of unbelievers are evident.
- 00:21:20.035 --> 00:21:22.938
- They are sexual immorality, impurity,
- 00:21:22.938 --> 00:21:26.875
- Indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostility,
- 00:21:26.875 --> 00:21:30.812
- Strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition,
- 00:21:30.812 --> 00:21:34.716
- Dissensions and factions, envy, drunkenness,
- 00:21:34.716 --> 00:21:39.121
- Carousing, and things like these
- 00:21:39.121 --> 00:21:41.890
- Of which i forewarn you just as i have,
- 00:21:41.890 --> 00:21:45.093
- That those who practice such things
- 00:21:45.093 --> 00:21:48.130
- Will not inherit the kingdom of god.
- 00:21:48.930 --> 00:21:51.666
- But the fruit of the spirit,
- 00:21:52.267 --> 00:21:54.269
- The evidence of a christian is love, joy,
- 00:21:54.269 --> 00:21:59.107
- Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness,
- 00:21:59.107 --> 00:22:04.379
- Gentleness, self-control.
- 00:22:04.946 --> 00:22:06.882
- Against such things there is no law."
- 00:22:06.882 --> 00:22:10.986
- The fruit of the spirit,
- 00:22:10.986 --> 00:22:13.789
- Where there is genuine faith,
- 00:22:13.789 --> 00:22:15.657
- There is going to be genuine, visible fruit.
- 00:22:15.657 --> 00:22:20.962
- Where there is no fruit, there is no faith.
- 00:22:21.830 --> 00:22:26.635
- That's the message of james.
- 00:22:26.635 --> 00:22:29.671
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:22:30.005 --> 00:22:33.742
- James challenges us to examine our lives
- 00:22:34.609 --> 00:22:37.579
- For the evidence of authentic faith.
- 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:40.081
- Are we merely hearers of the word or are we doers as well?
- 00:22:40.081 --> 00:22:44.486
- It's a question each of us must honestly answer.
- 00:22:44.486 --> 00:22:48.023
- I'm truly excited about this journey through james
- 00:22:48.023 --> 00:22:50.859
- And i hope you'll join us for the entirety of this series.
- 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:54.563
- Now, in closing, i want to remind you
- 00:22:54.563 --> 00:22:56.364
- That "pathway to victory" exists
- 00:22:56.364 --> 00:22:58.433
- Because of friends like you.
- 00:22:58.433 --> 00:23:00.335
- Our pathway partners and other supporters
- 00:23:00.335 --> 00:23:02.537
- Make it possible for us
- 00:23:02.537 --> 00:23:04.206
- To bring god's uncompromising truth to television viewers,
- 00:23:04.206 --> 00:23:08.376
- Radio listeners, and digital audiences everywhere.
- 00:23:08.376 --> 00:23:12.581
- In an age when many churches water down the gospel,
- 00:23:12.581 --> 00:23:16.585
- You help us maintain our commitment
- 00:23:16.585 --> 00:23:18.453
- To teaching the whole counsel of god.
- 00:23:18.453 --> 00:23:21.490
- Your generosity is making an eternal difference.
- 00:23:21.490 --> 00:23:25.327
- Together, we are piercing the darkness
- 00:23:25.327 --> 00:23:28.363
- With the light of god's word.
- 00:23:28.363 --> 00:23:30.298
- Now, please stay right there,
- 00:23:30.298 --> 00:23:31.600
- I'll be back with more "pathway to victory"
- 00:23:31.600 --> 00:23:34.269
- In just a moment.
- 00:23:34.269 --> 00:23:36.838
- Every believer wants to see clear evidence
- 00:23:37.739 --> 00:23:40.242
- Of their spiritual growth
- 00:23:40.242 --> 00:23:41.776
- And discover the fruit that god is producing in their lives.
- 00:23:41.776 --> 00:23:45.547
- Dr. robert jeffress shows you exactly
- 00:23:45.547 --> 00:23:47.849
- How to recognize that fruit in his brand new book,
- 00:23:47.849 --> 00:23:50.785
- "how to know if you're really saved."
- 00:23:50.785 --> 00:23:53.221
- The book of james teaches us that the christian life
- 00:23:53.221 --> 00:23:56.191
- Is about more than just knowing god's word,
- 00:23:56.191 --> 00:23:59.261
- It's about living it out.
- 00:23:59.261 --> 00:24:00.929
- In my new book, "how to know if you're really saved,"
- 00:24:00.929 --> 00:24:03.698
- I'll walk you through what it truly means
- 00:24:03.698 --> 00:24:05.700
- To be a doer of the word,
- 00:24:05.700 --> 00:24:07.836
- Showing you how to respond to trials,
- 00:24:07.836 --> 00:24:10.272
- Control your speech, endure hardships,
- 00:24:10.272 --> 00:24:13.041
- Resist temptation, and so much more.
- 00:24:13.041 --> 00:24:16.111
- This outstanding 232-page book
- 00:24:16.745 --> 00:24:19.147
- Will help you examine the evidence of your faith
- 00:24:19.147 --> 00:24:21.883
- And see the spiritual fruit
- 00:24:21.883 --> 00:24:23.451
- That should be growing in your daily life.
- 00:24:23.451 --> 00:24:26.087
- Request your copy of "how to know if you're really saved"
- 00:24:26.087 --> 00:24:29.224
- When you give a generous gift
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- To support the ministry of "pathway to victory,"
- 00:24:30.725 --> 00:24:33.261
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- 00:24:33.261 --> 00:24:35.564
- With your ministry gift of $75 or more,
- 00:24:35.564 --> 00:24:38.567
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- 00:24:38.567 --> 00:24:40.302
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- 00:24:40.302 --> 00:24:42.837
- And the complete message series on both cd and dvd.
- 00:24:42.837 --> 00:24:46.741
- If you are truly saved, there's going to be evidence of it,
- 00:24:46.741 --> 00:24:50.679
- There's some tests that you need to apply to your life.
- 00:24:50.679 --> 00:24:54.683
- Thank you for your generous support
- 00:24:54.683 --> 00:24:56.484
- Of "pathway to victory."
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- Your partnership helps us bring bold, biblical,
- 00:24:57.986 --> 00:25:00.956
- And practical teaching
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- 00:25:02.390 --> 00:25:07.562
- Authentic belief always reveals itself through our actions.
- 00:25:08.730 --> 00:25:12.634
- How we spend our money, our speech, and our relationships
- 00:25:12.634 --> 00:25:17.238
- All demonstrate whether we truly belong to jesus christ.
- 00:25:17.238 --> 00:25:21.509
- In short, our knowledge of scripture means nothing
- 00:25:21.509 --> 00:25:24.679
- If it doesn't change how we live.
- 00:25:24.679 --> 00:25:27.716
- Well, even genuine believers face difficult days.
- 00:25:27.716 --> 00:25:31.386
- Next time, we'll explore a surprising truth that trials
- 00:25:31.386 --> 00:25:35.256
- Aren't meant to break us, but to build us.
- 00:25:35.256 --> 00:25:38.627
- In fact, we can actually find joy in our troubles.
- 00:25:38.627 --> 00:25:42.998
- Stay tuned for a preview
- 00:25:42.998 --> 00:25:44.265
- Of what's coming up next in our series,
- 00:25:44.265 --> 00:25:46.167
- "how to know if you're really saved."
- 00:25:46.167 --> 00:25:49.204
- James says, "the road of this life is difficult,
- 00:25:50.138 --> 00:25:54.075
- There are a lot of bumps and jolts,
- 00:25:54.075 --> 00:25:57.212
- But when you go through those bumps and jolts
- 00:25:58.146 --> 00:26:00.849
- Means you're headed in the right direction,
- 00:26:00.849 --> 00:26:03.685
- But those bumps and jolts in and of themselves
- 00:26:03.685 --> 00:26:06.154
- Can be a benefit to you right now.
- 00:26:06.154 --> 00:26:09.391
- It may result those trials
- 00:26:09.391 --> 00:26:11.493
- In a strengthening of your faith for the future.
- 00:26:11.493 --> 00:26:15.363
- Set your dvr and join us next time for the message,
- 00:26:15.363 --> 00:26:18.333
- "triumph over troubles" here on "pathway to victory."
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- Step away from your daily routine
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- Cruise to alaska,
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- Call 888-280-6747
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- Or go to ptv.org.
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