Are You Single-Minded?

Well, good morning, brethren. Wonderful, wonderful to see all of my friends, friends of God and friends that we've seen many, many years here. I certainly am happy to be here. I'm glad to see you here. As you see, we've got plenty of extra chairs here today. So we should be able to make it quite easily with the number we have attending here, the feast in Branson. But I just wanted to start off here this morning, mostly with an introduction to the feast and then a sermonette, kind of, that I'm going to be giving. We'll later sing another song and then I'll take up the offering and give the announcements or a number of announcements that we need to cover this morning. And then beyond that, we'll be able to have a video that is a welcome video that some of you could have seen last night, I guess, if you watched out of Panama City. Did any of you do that? Oh, okay. We've got quite a few, really. So you get to see it again. Not like last year when I tell you the wrong video. We're going to get the right video this time. And of course, I think you'll find it very uplifting, very inspiring, not only beautiful for his presentation, but what Mr. Shavey needs to say and help us all as we begin the service. I certainly want to welcome all of you to Branson. I would assume many of you have been here before. I am the pastor up in Kansas City and over in Fulton. In Fulton, as some of you may know, we had a fire at a building and had to move, move to another location. We're still on the recovery stage of that. But we moved to a wonderful place called Kingdom City. And so, you know, we can now say, I guess, that that's a Kingdom City church, but I guess technically it's still called Fulton, Missouri. As all of you know, you know, we've chosen to appear here before God in a place where he is chosen to place his name. That's why we're here. That's why we come to Branson.

This is a location we've used here. The church is used for 20 years or more. And it's really a privilege, a privilege and honor for us, each one of us, no matter what our circumstances are. You know, a few of you are a little older than you were last year or the year before or 10 years before that. And I've heard from several of you about that. And of course, I'm also aging and I'm kind of struggling to get around, but I'm getting around a lot better this year than I did last year. And I think several have asked me and I'm my my right knee is new. Works wonderful. My left knee is not. And so it kind of drags me back down. But that's OK, because I'm certainly able to get around much better and I hope to even be better next next year. I might mention as we all of us appear here before God, he's the one who appoints where we go. I mean, as far as what locations we use and then we decide if we can come or not. And we're happy to be able to meet. We also have some brethren who are not able to do that. And I just ask that you keep them in your prayers because of sickness or age or, you know, whatever, not having an ability to easily travel and be able to be here like we are. We need to pray, pray for them. I have some other announcements regarding that, but I will I will wait for those here in a while.

As we celebrate Jesus return, that's what we're thinking about. We focused on the Feast of Trumpets, but also not only his return, but the establishment of an entirely different government, not a government that is ruled by men. I think we are learning as we if you watch television at all, man have a great difficulty ruling themselves. Unless God is giving guidance, unless he is being followed, unless he is being respected as far as his laws, then whatever type of human government, it just doesn't work.

But all of us have been committed to understanding God's government. I want us to look in Hebrews, Chapter 11. And this is just somewhat of a we probably read this chat verse of section every every feast. But in Hebrews 11, starting in verse 13, it's talking about those who have gone before us, those who are we are familiar with out of the Bible, Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Sarah.

But in verse 13, it says all of these died in faith without having received the promise, the promises. But from a distance, they saw and they they saw and greeted or they they anticipated what was in the future. They saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. People who speak in this way make it clear that they are speaking or seeking a homeland. And if they have been thinking of the land that they left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.

But as it is, verse 16, they desire they desire a better country that is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God. Indeed, he has prepared a city for them. Now, that's what every one of us are looking forward to. You know, we are in this physical frame, you know, living out in existence, however, God allows us to live. But it is something that we are looking beyond. We look beyond the physical things that affect us here in this life.

So I want us to keep that in mind as far as as far as how we are here observing the feast. I also want and this is pretty much the sermonette part of what I want to give. According to the Apostle Paul, in Galatians 1, verse 19, he points out that what we would come to know to be the Apostle James is the half-brother of Jesus.

And Mary and Joseph had several other brothers and sisters to Jesus. They are listed as sons and daughters. And I'm thinking about what James, you know, must have learned. You know, what a remarkable upbringing. James must have had growing up as a little brother to Jesus. Jesus would always be the older brother. And so any other brothers or sisters that he had, his half-brothers and sisters, you know, they would be younger.

So it would appear to me that James was probably living with Jesus for 30 years. Amazingly, you know, that would be that would be remarkable. And you'd always have to look up to him as an older brother and one who certainly did everything right. I guess you really couldn't tell on older brother about anything because there was nothing to tell. It was always done correctly, always done perfectly, always done according to the words of God, because we later see Jesus was said to I speak the words of the Father.

I don't speak my own words. You know, that's that's something we're all shooting for. You know, we're not there yet. And I certainly know I am not there yet. But, you know, James had that amazing 30 year period to learn. And you'd have to wonder about what kind of experiences he and others of his brothers, what what kind of experiences that they have with Jesus.

And of course, we know from other scriptures that the brothers really didn't accept Jesus for who he was. They didn't understand that early on. Some of them would later address that. But what I'm wanting to focus on is how the James later, as he accepted that Jesus was the Messiah, he became a leading apostle in the Jerusalem church. You can see that in numerous places. I'm not wanting to focus on that, but he would also offer one of the most insightful books in the New Testament. And so I want to focus on a statement that James makes actually in chapter four.

But he mentions being double minded. He mentions being double minded a couple of different times. And I'd like for us to think about that, meaning that he describes it as people being unstable, doubting, inconsistent, maybe easily sidetracked. What did he mean by being double minded? I want to explore that here in the sermonette this morning to begin the feast. He gave us not only that statement, but he also tells us what the remedy is.

And I want us to focus on that. And so the title of what I will cover in this sermonette is, am I or are you single minded? Because he says double minded is not good and double minded being vacillating, not able to be focused, easily distracted. But are you single minded? As we attend this festival of God, he desires to see us, his children, to be single minded. And so I want to point out how we can do that. There are a few verses in James that we can focus on and know absolutely what he expects us to do.

So if you will turn to James 4. James chapter four, actually, this is a verse or few verses that you may have memorized. Clearly, they are ones that I like to memorize. And if I can remember them, I'll be able to repeat them to you. If not, I'll try to read it.

But in James chapter four, he says, starting in verse six, God gives more grace. Therefore, he says, God resists. He opposes the proud. God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Therefore, we're told to submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee, draw near to God, he will draw near to you.

Then he points out, cleanse your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double minded. That's where I'm focusing on, you know, God doesn't want us to be double minded. He doesn't want us to be unstable. He doesn't want us to be distracted. And certainly, if you've driven around Branson here, there's quite a few distractions, quite a few new things even that are somewhat interesting and certainly not wrong to go to. I'm not saying anything about that.

But it's easily to be sidetracked into almost anything else. And it's even easily to be sidetracked in a temporary dwelling because nothing is in the right place. I can't find my toothbrush. I walk down to the car. Actually, I've got an elevator in the location where we're staying. And I walk down to the car and find I don't have my car keys because they're not in the right place. And I'm looking around the kitchen, where is the stuff? We've got to be able to make a sandwich.

And so a lot of things can be distracting, but see, God wants us to be single minded. So let's analyze what James says. He says, God resists the proud, but he gives grace. He gives grace to the humble. Now that's an amazing statement in that it's repeated a couple of times in the New Testament. And certainly that principle is explained in numerous parts of the Bible. God simply is wanting people who are humble and who are contrite and who really tremble at His word. Do what we see He says to do.

And so the question that is for all of us, since God opposes, He resists the proud. Do I oppose my own pride? Do you oppose your own pride? See, it's really even hard to see. It's very much a part of the way the devil is. It's very much the way Lucifer became as he turned from an obedient servant of God. He allowed pride to rule his thinking. But I have to ask, do I really see my own pride? Do I see my arrogance before God?

I want to be able to see it like God does. So he says in verse seven, therefore what we need to do is submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. Now I know all of you know that verse. You know that that's what God expects us to do. But it's much harder to do than just to know. You can know it, but actually do it to resist the devil because unless we truly submit to God, we can't resist the wavelength that dominates the world.

The wavelength that the prince of the power of the air promotes throughout the world. And we can't be forgetting that. In verse eight it says, draw near to God. He will draw near to you. We do that through our prayers. We do that through our study of his word. And we need to be reminded of that as we are here and will be over the next eight days celebrating the feast and the last great day.

We're going to be in this setting for a while. But we have to be focused on prayer and study. And also the latter part of that verse in verse eight says God will be near and dear to us if we draw close to him. And so it's important for us to see the different aspects of what's here. Verse eight he says, cleanse your hands, you sinners. And we have to be on guard about our actions and about our statements because that's what he tells us to do.

Whenever it mentions hands, it's just meaning something that is something that involves our action, our activity. And so I point that out. But then the latter part, the latter part of this, purify your hearts, you double minded. See it tells us if we're double minded, then our heart is not pure. And we have to be asking God, actually God's the only one who can purify our heart. And if we don't ask him to do that, you know, then he's not just going to force that on us.

We have to seek that, seek that and only he can cleanse and purify our hearts of being double minded. And so in order to be single minded, what do we have to be focused on? We have to be focused on the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. That's what he tells us. That's got to be our focus. Not distracted, not having a divided attention, but we can delight in the knowledge of God's coming kingdom.

And of course, we all know that we're here to celebrate that, but that needs to stay in the forefront of our mind. If we're going to be single minded, it tells us, of course, Dan in verse 10, again, a part of the solution. Reize your pride and the possibility of that causing us to be double and triple minded. But in verse 10, humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift you up. That's the real answer. The real answer to overcoming pride is to humble ourself.

Again, I know you're familiar with what Psalm 51 says, and that's a David Psalm of repentance. It says that a broken spirit, verse 17, I believe from broken spirit and a contrite heart, God will never despise. And I, I see many seated here in front of me today who have that attitude and have that because we see the need for it. We see the need to resist pride and humble ourselves before God. And I read in Albert Barnes commentary about what it means. He says, humble yourself in the sight of God and he will lift you up.

What does it mean to be lifted up by God? Well, he can exalt you from the condition of a broken hearted penitent to that of a forgiven child. That's where I need to be. I need to be forgiven. And I believe all of us need to have our find ourselves in that condition. And he's this commentary just mentions exalting us from a broken penitent child to wipe away our tears, to remove our sadness, to fill us with joy and to clothe us with salvation.

I think that's a very good description of what it is that God wants us to do. Another thing I might mention here about verse 10 is it's clear and easy to read. Humble yourself. Humble yourself. Now, I think probably most of us would say that, you know, we're humbled and we may be proud of that.

That's always a little confusing. But see, I can give you a humble, I can give you a humble gauge. You know, I know that almost everyone here a few days ago on the Day of Atonement fasted during that day. But a humble gauge might be, well, how often have I been choosing to fast other than the Day of Atonement? I mean, normally we find, I'm not suggesting that we fast here during the feast. I'm pretty sure most of us are not going to do that. But see, we can do that throughout the year. That's something that we ought to be doing. And that would, in a sense, you know, our pride keeps us, and being affected by the spirit in this world, it keeps us, you know, from having the humility and having the closeness to God that he wants us to have. So I wanted to bring this to us as we begin the feast. Be reminded that, you know, we need to be single-minded.

Single-minded on his kingdom, single-minded on his righteousness. That's what he wants from us. And so I just ask you to be mindful of that. And as we do that, then we can be the type of example, the type of servants of one another that we should be. And so I implore you to do that. I know that that's the outcome that God wants to see. And so I will conclude this sermonette with this and ask Mr. Bryant to lead another hymn before I come back and go through some announcements and introduce the rest of the service. We will take up the offering here during the announcement period.