A Good Conversation

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today’s program is called A Good Conversation. Let’s turn to James 3:13-18; I’m reading from the King James Version, Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. (The word conversation means conduct or behavior). But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. (The word strife means self-seeking). This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife, (or self-seeking) is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. James 1:21-25,  Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 2:13, For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. The scripture says, Show mercy and you will receive mercy. Verses 14-26, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. We read in Gal 5:6, Faith works by love. Good works are works of faith, in love and obedience. Let’s go to 1 John 3:16-18, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. It is not love to say, Be warmed and be filled, or, God will take care of you, if you have this world’s goods with you. Faith works by love. Good works are works of faith in love and obedience. 

Titus 1:4-9, To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you; if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Verse 15&16, To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Chapter 2:1-10, But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Good works, works of faith and obedience, adorn the true doctrine of God. Verses 11-14, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God. As we continue in the Holy Spirit, He will lead us in doing the Words of Jesus, in loving our enemies, in doing good. As we are zealous for good works we will be seeking the Father to lead us into those good works that He has for us; we will be following our Good Shepherd, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and He will lead us by his Spirit in doing the will of the Father. Remember, Jesus said, I only do what I see my Father doing, and I only say what I hear my Father saying. That is how He walked on this Earth. And the scripture says, If any man says he abides in Him, let him walk as He walked. And He will do it! He will lead us in his good works, works of love and faith and obedience, and we will bring forth fruit that remains to his glory. Remember, all our works will be tried by fire; of what sort they are. The works that we did on our own will be as wood, hay, and stubble. They will be quickly consumed by the fire, no matter how great they may have seemed in the eyes of men. But the works that Jesus initiated in our lives, that we did faithfully in obedience to Him, will be as silver and gold and precious stones. They will make it through the fire, and we will receive eternal rewards. The things that we do in obedience to Him, acts of kindness and love, however small they may seem to us, may have far reaching eternal results in other people’s lives that we don’t even know about. We just need to be faithful with what He gives us to do; faithful in doing his Words. 

Titus 3:1-8, Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. We are not saved by doing what we think are good works. We are saved by faith in the good work that Jesus fulfilled on the Cross for us; that He died for our sins to give us his righteousness; the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit; that we might become a new creation in Him, being led by his Spirit every day, denying ourselves, not seeking our own pleasures, taking up our cross and following Him. We are crucified with Him. Nevertheless we live, yet not us, but Christ lives in us. Let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:9-12, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. I’m reminded of what Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. 

1 Pet 1:13-23 ,Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Jesus said, If you continue in my Word, you will be my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. In James we saw that if we continue in the Word of God, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, we will be blessed in our deeds. We read in 1 John that the Holy Spirit is our teacher, and He is truth and is no lie. As we continue to read and study the Word of God, humbling ourselves before Him, and asking the Father for understanding, the Holy Spirit will reveal the Word of God to us, and teach us, and lead us in doing it. This is continuing in his Word. As we do this, in humility and continuance, seeking true understanding from God, seeking his righteousness, we will know the truth and the truth will make us free; free from bitter envy, pride, and self-seeking; free from confusion and all evil works which blaspheme the Word of God, and we will begin to adorn the true doctrine of God with the good works that He leads us in by his Holy Spirit. We will be purified and God will be glorified in his own special people, zealous for good works.