1. WHAT GOD HAS DONE James 1:17-18

2. What God Has Done  We continue our journey through the book of James this week  Last week we studied temptations and we noticed that God was not behind the temptations we face  James tells us that God cannot be tempted, nor can He tempt (v. 13)

3. What God Has Done  Interestingly enough, James moves on in the next couple of verses to tell us what God can do  We realize that there is so much that God can do  James chooses to concentrate on what God has done for us

4. What God Has Done  What all has God done for you?  Do you spend time daily thinking of everything that God has done for you?  There are some very important things that God does that James notes here  We will look at those things together tonight…

5. What God Has Done  1. God gives all good & perfect gifts  God is a generous God!  He loves to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:7-11)  God has promised to bless us richly in this life (Lk. 6:38)  God even blesses those who do evil (Matt. 5:45)

6. What God Has Done  1. God gives all good & perfect gifts  Certainly we think of blessings and the physical comes to our minds most of the time  God has blessed us with good gifts in other ways as well  There is the greatest blessing God has given us, His Son Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:16)

7. What God Has Done  1. God gives all good & perfect gifts  God has also blessed us with spiritual blessings, found in Christ (Eph. 1:3)  This includes the salvation that we find in Christ (Eph. 1:7; I Jn. 5:11-12)  Prayer is a blessing that God gives us as well (Heb. 4:16)

8. What God Has Done  2. God does not change  Perhaps we often overlook this very important part of verse 17  We focus on the part of the verse that talks about the good gifts that God gives  How often do we focus on the fact that our God is not going to change

9. What God Has Done  2. God does not change  Most writers compare God here with the sun  The sun moves about, doesn’t stay in one place  There are times when the sun itself is even eclipsed  Not so with our God, who does not change

10. What God Has Done  2. God does not change  What if God changed?  What if we never knew from day to day what God wanted or expected of us?  What if we didn’t know from day to day whether God still loved us, or would keep His promises still?

11. What God Has Done  2. God does not change  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8)  “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob” (Mal. 3:6)  God’s unchanging nature means He will keep His promises and we can count on Him!

12. What God Has Done  3. God wants us  “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…”  It was God’s will that we be saved  That shows His tremendous love for each one of us!  God does not want anyone to perish (II Pet. 3:9)

13. What God Has Done  3. God wants us  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1:12-13)  God did not have to save us

14. What God Has Done  3. God wants us  Just knowing that God wants you should be one of the most encouraging things you will ever discover  It’s the ultimate acceptance  This should be a motivator for you and I to go out and be who He wants us to be!

15. What God Has Done  4. God has made us special  It’s certainly encouraging and reassuring to know that God wants us  James wants us to know that we are more than just a choice to God  James tells us that we are both special and of the utmost importance to God

16. What God Has Done  4. God has made us special  James calls us the “firstfruits of His creatures”  This term dates all the way back to an idea that we find in the Old Testament  The idea is the first that was taken from anything and offered as a portion to God  God always desired what was first

17. What God Has Done  4. God has made us special  What was first was special because it was reserved for God  “…His own special people…” (Titus 2:14)  “…a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…” (I Pet. 2:9)