Transformed by the Word
Practical Christianity - The Book of James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Happy Mother’s Day!
Let’s take a vote here for mother’s day: Mom’s when your kids were young, how would you rate their listening skills? 1 for no, they really didn’t hear me, and 10 for they heard me so well it was like they anticipated my thoughts!
Ok now let’s rate your husbands… you know what, I don’t want to know that rating…
When I was growing up, my mom had a lot of wisdom to share. Hard to say it then, much easier to say it now. Often as kids we don’t always listen, and mom’s have to repeat themselves time and again to get the point across. Thank God they do, and don’t give up on us!
Neither does God. He has not given up on us either. He calls to us, and in His Word has given us all we need to live for Him. But, are we both hearing and obeying what He says?
Series Intro
Last week we talked about trial and hardship. Namely, how we as Christians should respond to hardship. In Jesus it is possible to count it joy when our faith is tested through the hard things. We should ask God for wisdom and not doubt, because He will pour it out! We should trust God and thank Him for how He is working His good plan. Our choice to do these things allows God to grow our faith.
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.
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.
Real faith is demonstrated in a transformed life.
James’ pathway to transformation:
Receive God’s Word (19-21)
Receive God’s Word (19-21)
So this first question we need to ask is this: How do we get a transformed life?
A transformed life is one that is now no longer living in sin or in the ways of this world. Rather, now we are living for Jesus, in every area of our lives becoming submitted to Him and reflecting Him. If our faith is actually living and active, it should produce a transformed life. For this to happen, we must firstly receive God’s Word.
Let’s start again with the first verses in this section. Keep in mind James has just finished telling us that we are God’s people, the firstfruits of the amazing restoration God will work at the end.
Now James says
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.
Here James give three directives:
Constant readiness to listen
Slow speaking
Slow to anger
Have you ever said something and as soon as it came out of your mouth gone “oops, wish I could take that back!”
Have you ever had a time when you allowed your anger to run away with you, and then at some point realized you had actually made the problem about 10 times worse because of your choice to exercise anger?
James addresses this problem here. He encourages a reversal of how we often act. Instead of quick to retort and quick tempers, we should first listen, then with thought and wisdom from God respond. Remember, James has already said that God will give wisdom to those who ask Him!
Why should we be careful in these matters? Because words have power, and if we are going to have real, active, living faith we cannot be ruled by a wrath that does not come from God. Man’s anger - James says - does not produce God’s righteousness.
Anger here is wrath. We’re not talking righteous anger like Jesus demonstrated when He turned over the tables in the temple. We’re not talking about an anger at injustice that leads us to stand for what is right. We are talking about unbridled, harsh anger. Instead of producing in us Christlike character, this kind of uncontrolled anger leads to uncontrolled speech that only serves to hurt those around us, ourselves, and our relationship with God. Remember that James is writing to a real people at a real time in real places. They were probably struggling with this just like we are today. James’ admonishment is to reverse the order.
How then to combat this sin, as all other sin in our lives?
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James is using a word picture here. The verb for “put away” talks about throwing out a rag that is just too dirty. Ladies, have you ever found something like this in your husband’s garage and gone, “why are you keeping this thing?!” James builds a word picture. He says, throw away impurity and overabundance of depravity that is in the world around you and formerly characterized your life, and receive with meekness God’s Word.
It’s interesting James says to receive the Word with meekness. This is humility, a slow to speak, yet quick to listen attitude that puts others first. Jame’s thought follows a similar pattern to 1 Corinthians 13:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
Here James contrasts the two: a life transformed receives God’s Word in humility. A life not yet transformed produces pride and selfish anger.
So if we are to be a people who have active, living faith, we need to receive God’s Word! This alone is the antidote to our naturally prideful human disposition that so easily speaks and gets angry. Only through God’s Word and the working of the Spirit can we be transformed.
Real faith is demonstrated in a transformed life.
The first stop of the pathway to transformation is to receive God’s Word. We must receive what God’s Word wants to say to us, because it is the only remedy for this human sinful condition. Do you want to combat anger, and speaking too soon? Allow God’s Word to penetrate. A great way to do this is to find specific verses that talk about anger, or speaking carefully, and begin memorizing them. Bit by bit, you will notice that Scripture comes to mind more often, and you can use it to guard against temptation to be angry and lash out.
It Must Transform You (22-25)
It Must Transform You (22-25)
(Let it actually transform you)
Here’s the thing though about letting the Word sink deep into your life: You have to act on it.
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James uses this word - but - to show us that it’s more than just a listening thing. Have you ever heard someone ask if you’re not just hearing them, but actually listening? It implies some action on your end, does it not?
In Romans 2:13 Paul makes this point:
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
Here’s what is not being said: Action save you. This goes directly against Scripture’s testimony that:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So, what are James and Paul saying? Those who listen without allowing God’s Word to change their lives live in hypocrisy. God’s love, and His transformational Word must have an effect on your life, if you have truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
This is the epitome of the old adage “just because you stand inside a garage doesn’t make you a car.” Well, just because you come to church once a week doesn’t make you a Christian. James will define what true religion looks like practically in a minute, but first he addresses the underlying need - you have to both hear and do!
The illustration James uses next shows us how futile it is for us to hear without allowing God’s Word to properly change our lives.
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.
What a silly image! Who would do this? In this context, people often used shiny silver or a polished metal to show their reflection. To look at this, and then turn away and forget at once what you look like is strange indeed. I wonder if it’s a bit like this experiences, which I’m sure no one else has ever had…
Have you ever been standing in the kitchen, doing your thing, and your spouse or perhaps someone else comes in and starts talking to you. Internally you’ve convinced yourself you’re listening, while still doing that other thing. No worries! And then they finish speaking and you realize you have no idea what that person said? Oops. While you were ‘hearing’ you weren’t really listening.
That’s James’ point: If you wouldn’t look at a mirror and automatically forget your reflection, why would you look into God’s Word and then forget what He is saying to you? The Word of God is not meant to be a cute story, or a nice group of tales for around the campfire. It’s meant to change you, to transform and shape you.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
This is what James says next:
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.
Do you see the connection between hearing and doing? If reading and listening to and absorbing God’s Word does not lead to action, then you have not heard or listened at all! It has bounced right off you, like a reflection in the mirror you immediately forget.
But, if you look into the God’s Word and choose to persevere in what it says, there is blessing.
The perfect Law or Law of liberty here couples with the “Word” in v 22. It describes the complete counsel of God’s Word. Both the Old Testament, and the fulfillment of it in Jesus Christ (the New Testament). The OT law becomes a law of liberty through Christ who came to set us free from the guilt of sin, and gives us the power through the Holy Spirit to live in a way that pleases God.
For those who choose to listen to God’s Word, allow it to penetrate, and then do as God asks, there is blessing. Remember last week we read in v 12 about the blessing that exists for those who endure? Here it is repeated again. Following after Christ and living for Him - even when our world pushes back hard - is met with blessing from God.
Real faith is demonstrated in a transformed life.
If the first stop is to receive the Word of God, the second is to allow it to work change within you. You cannot simply listen without action. You must live out your faith, or it is dead! What good does it do to hear without it changing you? If you say you believe it, you must live it.
Live it Out! (26-27)
Live it Out! (26-27)
(Practical Religion)
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
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.
James get quite practical in this section. He workshops what he has already said by defining “pure religion.”
Sometimes we really like to shy away from the word religion. I’m sure you’ve heard me say that it’s about relationship, not religion. The problem is, in our world today the word religion often communicates a dead experience. Just going through the motions. Our world is full religion today. Too many to name, but do you know what they all have in common? They ask and push you to do this, or that, or this other thing in order to find your own salvation, or reach the eternal state, or simply reject that there’s anything after this life. Your only goal is to be the best you can be right now because you only got one shot.
But let’s not fear the word just because of the experience.
James (4) Worthless Religion and Genuine Religion (1:26–27)
Religion is the external, observable qualities of the life of faith in Christ.
It can function for false religion full of empty talk, or as the definition as someone who’s faith is alive and active. And guess what?
James (4) Worthless Religion and Genuine Religion (1:26–27)
The tongue becomes the test case for true religion
It’s not that the tongue should not be used at all. God has given us speech in order that we might use it to glorify Him! So then, James says that if you have true religion - true faith - you should bridle your tongue.
This image makes us think of horses. We use a bridle on a horse to steer them in the direction we want to go. It is important that a horse is trained for this, to understand the commands its rider given him.
In the same way, we must bridle our tongues, our whole bodies in fact, being careful to live for God’s glory. Empty religion that is worthless is the religion that seems pious and good on the surface but underneath produces no real heart posture or change. If we cannot do this, we deceive our own heart. Our religion is proven false - it is worthless!
Thus, James calls us to life out our faith a life of action oriented to God’s service. Do not simply live empty practices, but bridle your self and live out what you preach.
Religion - true religion or faith - that is pure before God is a life lived in service to God. Caring for the widow and orphan reflected the two most vulnerable people groups of that day. James calls us to the same challenge of Christ. Rather than living with a tongue that could go off like a cannon, your faith should lead you to have the heart of Christ for those who are hurting, or need care.
I was at our district conference this week. It was a great time of business, worship and networking. At one point one of the presenters who came up was talking to us about what God is doing in the lives of many youth in SK. She noted something: aboriginal teenage girls are one of the most vulnerable groups in our nation today.
Want to exercise genuine “religion?” Go get out and do something to touch people as a servant of Jesus. Go make a pot of Chili and bring it to your struggling neighbour down the road. Spend some time in prayer interceding for needs. Go love on that person who is alone and lonely. Religion that is pure and faultless before God cares for the least of these, puts others first, and has the heart of Jesus for others.
It is further tested by the way we live. We are not to align ourselves in action or word with this world.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
As Christians, we must live with the tension of being in this world, but not of this world. This means that while we live here, we are people of another place. We are citizens of eternity - of God’s kingdom. therefore, we must live without compromise. This world asks us to compromise all of the time.
Hey, it’s ok to cheat a little bit on your taxes for a slightly better tax return. I mean, the government really is taking too much anyway! I’m just evening the playing field!
It’s ok to sleep with someone even if you’re not married. People do it all the time - what’s the harm?
It’s ok to badmouth this person behind their back - they aren’t listening anyway - they won’t know!
Has anyone ever had temptations like those, or many others? The enemy loves to tell us that a bit of compromise is ok. It’s the same tactic he used with Eve and Adam in the beginning. (Seems he’s not as smart as we thought - nothing original anymore!). Friends, don’t allow this world to gain a foothold! In doing so, we compromise our faith and our witness.
Perhaps this is best demonstrated as we watch some who have helped the poor, or made a great impact in peoples’ lives, yet it then comes out that they had an affair, or had stolen money or something.
In times like these, it seems as if that person’s religion really was false. Because, how could they do such a thing? Do you see the power a life lived for God and in rejection of the temptations in this world holds? People test our speech by our actions. If they don’t fall in line, it will get noticed fast. But, if people notice you living different, than it leads to speech. Not anger, but Spirit-filled, life-giving speech that allows others as well to receive, be transformed, and live out God’s Word.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Real faith is demonstrated in a transformed life.
Receive God’s Word
Let it Transform You
Live it Out!
James shows us the need to live out our faith - to both hear God’s Word and do what it says. If we only ever hear without life change, we live hypocrisy. James takes on the particular issue of speaking quickly and being quick to anger. He admonishes the opposite. Life lived with love is ready to listen, slow and considerate of speech, and not exercising human anger. Rather, filled with God’s Word, we need to live out through both speech and action what God reveals to us in Scripture. We need to care for the least of these, and keep the temptations of this world - even the small ones - away from us. Is it easy? No, but it the call to live for Jesus was never promised to be easy. However, it is good, and it keeps us pointing ourselves to eternity with Jesus. He empowers you to live out His Word, even in temptation, even through hardship, and he calls you to be a believer who demonstrates their faith without compromise. Be encouraged friends!
Salvation Call
