Mirror, Mirror...

INTRO: QB

James 1:19-26 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant 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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

PRAY!!

“ Only God really knows me and I hope He doesn't ever tell me.”-Johan Gurta

We all want to look good and keep up appearances But in God’s word we find a mirror that has a special ability to reveal who we really are.

Calvin said “We can’t really know who we are, till we know God.”

The Mirror shows our:

True complexion

when we look in the mirror it reveals everything we see in our complexion, pimples, green salad stuck in our teeth disheveled hair, boogers in our nose, etc..so we can correct the issues we see, but what if we didn’t do anything to fix what was gross and unflattering in what we just seen?

If we are a PASSIVE listener or a ACTIVE listener

a. The Passive Listener quickly forgets

V. 24

b. The Passive Listener is deceived

V. 22

To be deceived is to not even know your a victim of

deception. Your’e living a lie that is harmful to yourself and others.

The Active listener:

1. Is Blessed

V.25

2. Is saved by the word

James 1:21 “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

When your cleansed by His word, you’ll be willing to do anything no matter how high the cost

3. The Active Listener:

Will Bridle his/her Tongue

James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”

Not just worthless but harmful!

There is ZERO place in God’s church for meanness!

When we look in God’s mirror we need to be listening for the still, small voice of God who will lead us into all truth. We need to listen for Him calling our name....

We need to remember that it is God’s matchless, daily grace that is transforming us from glory to glory

2 Cor 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Your Tongue is the true mirror into your soul

Talk here..

James 1:19“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

The North Africa Christianity explosion.. What we do in obscurity is seen by God and interestingly enough, lots of others

True Religion=

James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Visiting Orphans and Widows isn’t a high profile, sexy mission

We are told not to give special attention to high profile, rich or straight up just attractive folks, because we are to see people as God see’s them, all the same.

We should all have the banner/motto of the Green Berets (De Oppresso Liber) Translated is “Free the Oppressed. The oppressed by sin, the oppressed by anxiety/fear and depression, oppressed by loneliness, oppressed by sickness. We should be God’s spiritual Special Forces, Heavenly Green Berets. We should be the Hands and feet of Jesus.

In the last part of James 1:27 it says

“and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

The world can and does absolutely stain us

CALL UP WORSHIP!!

In Closing:

I once heard a story about a little boy who was lost..

There was a little boy..

Bring people to the cross, so they can find their way home...

PRAY!!