The Nature Of God Series

The Nature of God

James 1:16-18

Introduction

It is illegal to read the Bible in the public schools of Illinois, but a law requires the state to provide a Bible for every convict! Don’t worry, kids, if you can’t read the Bible in school, you’ll be able to when you get to prison!

In contrast to where we were last week God is the author of salvation not of temptation. Where we may have been tempted and fallen even these next verses tell us that God is the one that gives us the good gifts of salvation. We will look at the very nature of God not just in His giving, but in His unchanging ways, how He looks at us and what His nature is toward His creation. In the book of James we will learn a lot about ourselves as we pursue deeper places with Christ. But James takes a pause from the problem he has with you to remind us that no matter how big the problem is that we have, we serve a God with an incredible knowable nature. The god of Islam is unknowable and unpredictable the God of Israel, Jehovah God, is knowable, all knowing and never changes. We can always know God’s responses and what His actions will be through His word. James will show us God as the wonderful and abundant giver, we will see the God who never changes, we will see our God who acts on His own will, but who acts on His own will for the good of a creation that He loves so dearly. We continue on in the book of James 1:17-18.

I. He Is the Wonderful Giver

a) The Original Giver

i) Our God is the originator of giving gifts from the very beginning

ii) He gave you and me the gift of breath when he breathed into us the breath of life.

iii) He gave to us a son “For God so loved the world that He gave…”

iv) He Is the original giver He is the best at it and none can give more or give better for God gives the good gifts

b) The good gift

i) John 3:27 A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven

ii) Do you have the child like faith to stand in the open and pray to God in a way that completely trusts Him for all you need?

iv) All God’s gifts are good, but all good gifts may not come from God

v) The drug addict cannot consider their provision of drugs a gift from God. There are material items that corrupt and are misused and are in the wrong hands, but when God gives gifts they are not just good they are perfect.

c) The perfect gift from above

i) He gave us a good and perfect world that only by our minds and our hearts did we corrupt it.

ii) We have received from Him the perfect gift time and time again and we always know how to take those perfect gifts that are from His hand and mold it to fit our corrupt and selfish minds.

iii) Thank you God for what you have given me now how can I use this for my gain.

iv) Even the spiritual gifts He gives us. How can I use this for my gain?

v) Please understand this concept: that He gives good and perfect gifts. Just because He gives good gifts and just because we recognize them as good gifts it may be that they are not perfect for us.

vi) So if God withholds a good gift from you it may be because it is not perfect for you. That good gift might be perfect for someone else.

vii) When someone else receives that good gift we should rejoice with them.

d) Is His nature a part of yours?

i) Does His nature as a giver contrast ours? Or compliment?

ii) What kind of giver are we in light of this scripture? Are we concerned about giving the good and perfect gift to others? God may have a Word for someone or a prophecy for someone and yet we corrupt that good and perfect gift by trying to interpret it for them rather than be the messenger and let them receive what is good and perfect from God.

iii) Many times we concern ourselves with the good and perfect gift we receive than the good and perfect gift we give. When we think of the gifts of the spirit that are given to us we must remember that those are gifts to give and use for others.

iv) The other attribute of God is one that should keep us secure in Him

II. He is a God who never changes