All right, good morning and welcome to our second service on Sunday mornings. We have two services,

the first of which is the Bible prophecy update that we do weekly, and now second service is the

sermon, a verse by verse study through God's Word. We're currently in the book of James, and our text

today is chapter 1, beginning in verse 12, and Lord willing, we'll make it through to verse 16.

So for those of you that are here, if you're able, I'll ask you to stand.

You can follow along as I read, if not where you're seated is fine.

Beginning in verse 12, James, by the Holy Spirit Spirit writes, Blessed is the one who perseveres

under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life

that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted,

verse 13, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does

he tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when they are dragged away

by their own evil desire and entice. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.

And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.

Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

Let's pray if you would, please join with me. We'll ask God's

blessing on our understanding. Loving Heavenly Father, we knew this going into this book

that it was going to be like this, that James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would pull no punches and

be blunt in a sanctified way, and certainly this is the case with the text that's before

us today. So, Lord, we want to posture ourselves before you, acknowledging, readily admitting

that we need for the Holy Spirit now to do that which only you can, which is to get our attention

and hold our attention, so that we can hear you speak into our lives,

even as tough as it might be going through this passage.

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