Walk the Walk - Arguments Around the Table

Thank you [for worship]…and thank you Mom’s out there. As I said earlier, for every woman who has ever endeavored to care for and nurture anyone of any age, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

There is just something different about the love of a mother, or mother figure. There really is. God’s creation kind of dictates that everything in it has a purpose and a reason, and I know there is not only great reason, but also great need for the love of mother’s. You see, mother’s have the ability to lovingly guide someone to a greater understanding without belittling, intentionally or unintentionally. They are and intricate and wholly necessary part of God’s design for this world, and I praise God for you all.

Now you might be asking yourself right now, what does James have to say about mothers? For those of you who have been good students and read through this little book already, you are probably wondering where we can even go with this.

Well, let me tell you. I had a hard time the past two weeks. We all go through that. Pastor’s, though, seem to be especially skilled at masking hurt and worry at times. I know for me, it happens because I don’t want others burdened by it.

Well in all the little things that piled on the past two weeks - both my cars breaking down, feeling like I have fallen short maybe in some parts of my life - there was Olivia. I know most of you probably don’t know, but she had an accident and there was some concern that she could have gone blind in one eye. So here I am, praying about that, carrying that weight, when a member’s son dies. And that was really the straw that broke me.

Here I am carrying this weight while there are others carry a much greater hurt. So these two feelings kind of waged a war within me. The guilt, the feeling of hypocrisy. All the time this is happening here I am forgetting the very words that I have been reading!

But like in all crisis, there is someone who brings God’s truth. I am thankful for two. My wife, who never got stressed and who helped me carry that stress while staying calm and taking care of both kids. And a mother figure…well, maybe a big sister figure, who reminded me of the faith that I am called to, and that I profess.

So for anyone carrying burdens here today, let me remind you as I was reminded -

picormercymeevenif

Even if you never see what you want to see, or become what you think you are supposed to be or do what you think you are supposed to do, your hope, my hope, our hope, has to be in Christ alone.

And hope implies something greater than just wishing, doesn’t it? Today we are reminded that when a child comes into the life of a mom, there are all these hopes for that child. All the things that the mom thinks that child can do and see. And BECAUSE of those hopes, moms are moved to action.

You see faith is more than belief. Faith causes us to hope, which calls us to action and to do the work that our faith leads us to even if we don’t immediately see that faith realized!

And that brings us to our text today...

tie in and setup. Talk about moms. Talk about your memory of moms and grandma. Tie in the song “Even If” that Lisa sent you..faith is more than belief…there is work to do whether our faith is realized or not

James 2:14-2

James 2:14–24 NIV

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

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Pray

pictureoffamilyattable

I think we all have moments that stick out in our minds. Memories that we hold on to from our youth that either define us, or just fill us and make us feel loved and warm. For me, it was time around the table with all of our family.

You see, I grew up, at least for the first part of my childhood right next door to my grandparents. That is my Mom’s parents. And we would get together to eat just about every month or so. It was usually on a Sunday, I think, and we would go over there mid-morning and spend the day together. We would swim, or play horse-shoes, or smoke mullet in Granddad’s home made refrigerator smoker that was built in the old horseshoe pit. Sometimes they would work on the old VW in the barn, and I would go watch.

But no matter what we did before the dinner, after it we would always do the exact same thing.

When I was growing up

picofpeopleplayingcards

We would sit around the table and play cards.

I know that talking about playing cards might be a bit taboo here in church, but that is just what we did!

As far back as I can remember, I was sitting there watching, at the very least, and trying to play with them from about 5 on.

Now in my family you didn’t talk about two things - I bet you can guess them - religion and politics. Now even with those rules, inevitably someone would start talking about it, and then the good natured ribbing began and before you knew it, things start to get a little out of hand.

And that’s when Grandma steps in. She calms the storm and makes everyone see the other’s point of view. She clarifies. She relates. She regulates the craziness to help us see the truth.

And then we were back to playing cards.

pichere (paul versus james)

That is really what I see when I read this text. Here is James, having laid low his audience by telling them they would suffer, and that they should not complain really, and definitely not get mad about it, but they should persevere and keep standing up and doing what God needs for them to do.

And then comes our text.

You might not know it, but this text has some backstory. You can read about it in Galatians chapter 2. You see, right before the time of the writing of this book James was sitting around a dinner table, well, James’ men were sitting around a dinner table, but they were there on his behalf.

So they were sitting at this table while Peter and Paul were there together, eating with the Gentiles. Now this is something that Peter did all the time, but when James’ men can to town, to sit at that table, Peter withdrew from the gentiles. He stopped being cordial. Conversation ended.

Paul, of course, writes about this and talks about how he opposed Peter and rebuked him.

And then there is our text; James’ letter.

This is James opportunity to give his side of the argument, sort of, to set the record straight, or at the very least to launch his volley at someone he was a little put out by - his brother, his family.

In James, I see my uncles. I see them when there were yelling at each other about whatever issue of the day they were upset about. Just looking for any chance to launch a volley.

James 2:14–17 NIV

James 2:

And what an argument! What a great indictment right off!

If you see someone who is needy and you tell them to just have faith, and don’t help them, your faith is dead! You have to do something when you see someone hurting!

But I don’t have time right now, we say. I need to be somewhere. Well that might be true. But I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Matrix movies. “If we don’t ever take time, how can we ever have time?”

It reminds me of a quote from the Matrix movies: “If we do not ever take time, how can we ever have time?”

If we never use our faith, how can we ever have faith to use? It is sort of a chicken or the egg situation right? But as I said, this is in response, in a way to Paul, and whether or not it was written on paper first, it is clear that James felt there was a need to argue this point to Paul. I say that, because Paul is on record about it!

In his letter to the Romans, beginning in Chapter 3, Paul outlines this entire argument, and I really do encourage you to read all of it. But there Paul gives his treatise on how we live and hope in faith alone. And while a beautiful moment in scripture, and theology, this is likely the beginning of a great divide between these two men.

But just like all arguments around a dinner table, this one seems to be fueled by misunderstanding, and not a real difference of opinion.

That becomes most evident in the next section of our text.

James 2:18–19 NIV

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

We all can relate to this, right? This moment in an argument when personal attacks seem logical. That moment when even the ones we love come under the direct fire of our heaviest guns. That is essentially what is going on here.

Now in my house, this what when the moms would perk up. They would start trying to smooth things out or change the subject, right?

Well, right here, James and Paul needy a mommy really badly.

But still there is truth there for us! “Show me your faith APART from your works,” that is to say, you show my your great faith having done nothing at all. Cloistered off in a tiny room, show me the result of your faith.

Well it is all for you right? I think that is what James is driving at here. Show me faith, something that is really impossible for anyone outside of our bodies to see, without doing anything!

Well it’s impossible. You see faith has called us to do something. Now much of it is internal, but there is still some external sign of our faith shown in us. We are changed by it. And being changed, we then DO something differently.

That is what I think James is saying when he concludes, “I will show you my faith by my works.” To James, and to Paul too, as we will see here in a second, faith demands that we follow Christ’s lead, and that not only implies but actually demands that we do something!

I say that, because both of these men say it, although Paul masks the actions as faith.

Romans 4:1-

Romans 4:1–3 NIV

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Paul is obviously right on the money here. But he is leaving out a key point. Well not leaving it out. I mean he uses the verse there, but he avoids the context as part of his very valid argument.

The verse comes on the heals of God’s promise to Abram that his offspring would be as countless as the stars, the text that follows reads:

Genesis 15:6–11 NIV

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

His faith caused Abram to do something. That something didn’t guarantee anything else, but still it caused him to change, to take action.

God even told him to do something! “Bring me a heifer.” Sacrifice this thing to me. You see, even with great faith, we are called to respond. To do God’s work. In James speak, faith without works is dead.

James 2:20–24 NIV

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

James 2:20-

But James can’t seem to make that point without anger still. Just like us at times. I am glad for us, though, those who are around the table with them, figuratively, watching this argument play out, that we have the Holy Spirit serve as the mother if you will. It is my Grandmother calming the storm to show them they are both right, and they need to see it plainly.

James comes to this point for a purpose church. He likely has read, or heard of this letter, which was written just shortly before James could have been written. And he uses Paul’s own argument against him.

Wasn’t Abraham justified by works when he offered up his son?

Obviously he was. But not completely. James even admits as much. “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”

It takes both. It takes both. You can’t have one without the other, really. And to be honest, the order they come in, probably isn’t as important as whether or not you have them both!

picofmoms

You can see that clearly in those mother figures in our lives. Those people, whether they are wives or good friends who try to nurture you when you need it. Those people who have faith that you are good, but know you might need to do something to make things better. Maybe write a note. Sit in the corner. Apologize. Be kind to your brother or sister.

They know the cost of love. They bear it out in their lives. Love, like faith, calls us to action. And a mother knows that all too well. Sometimes that action is faith alone - believing that your child will do the right thing. Sometimes it is works alone - doing things that children need. But usually it is both.

You see the love of a mother figure is just affection if not for the actions that come with it. We only know how wonderful their love for us really is by the things we see them do, the things we see them sacrifice! The ways in which they imitate Christ in our lives! The very one whose faith in us caused the great action of the cross!

Church there is always a working component to love, and to faith. Jesus even tells us that.

John 15:5

John 15:5 NIV

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

If you remain - the word is just as well translated abide, which better conveys the idea that there is some action, some doing involved - but if you remain or abide in me and I in you, Jesus says, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Of course the implication of all these words is that in Him we can do something! In fact, Paul himself says that he, and we, can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

So of course there are works with faith. Just as a mother doesn’t have a child and then go right back to the way she lived before, so we, children of faith, become changed and begin to produce fruit in keeping with righteousness.

Our works begin to match our faith.

If we only have faith, church, if we can start there, and know that we are loved and that everyone else deserves that love - if we would only remember our mothers, and those arguments around the table, we would see the truth!

John 15:12–14 NIV

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 15:12-

Church, Paul was right, we will never get to heaven by what we do. But if we have been remade into one who is a follower of Christ, we have become a doer of the word! We do what Jesus tells us to do!

THIS IS WHAT HE TELLS US TO DO! IT IS, IN FACT, PROBABLY WHAT ALL THE MOTHER’S OUT THERE TELL THOSE IN THEIR CARE TO DO! LOVE ONE ANOTHER! GIVE YOU LIFE FOR ONE ANOTHER! DO WHAT GOD NEEDS YOU TO DO! EVEN IF YOU DON’T SEE THE RESULTS! EVEN IF IT FEELS LIKE YOUR WORLD IS CRASHING IN ON YOU! EVEN IF YOU FEEL LIKE BY DOING IT YOU GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK! [DON’T SLOW DOWN!]

NO MATTER WHAT, KNOW THAT IF YOU JUST REMAIN AND CHRIST AND KEEP DOING THE WORK HE CALLS YOU TO IT DOESN’T MATTER IF HE NEVER MOVES THAT MOUNTAIN! IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU MAKE IT THROUGH THAT FIRE! JUST LIKE WITH OUR MOTHER FIGURES, CHURCH, NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DO WITH THE FAITH YOU HAVE YOU WILL BE LOVED! BUT KNOW THIS, THAT LOVE, THAT ABIDING PRESENCE IN CHRIST, WILL CAUSE YOU TO HAVE TO TRY! IT WILL LEAD YOU TO THE MOUNTAINS AND TO THE FIRE! AND EVEN IF THAT IS THE END OF OUR ROAD, CHURCH, OUR HOPE HAS TO REMAIN IN CHRIST ALONE!

Daniel 3:17–18 NIV

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3:17-

That is also why I am so grateful for those mother figures in our lives…or big sister’s. You see, they remind us that no matter what we might face in life, they will be there. No matter what we can or can’t do, no matter what we do or don’t do, our faith in their love for us is justified.

Church they are a reflection of God to us. Because of them, and their love for us, we can understand God’s love for us.

They remind us to, of the same thing James closes out his argument with.

James 2:26 NIV

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Abide. Abide in each other. Abide in family. Abide in love. If you do that you will be changed. Just as with that change comes action, so does our life with Christ. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Thank you mother’s for changing us. And thanks be to God for transforming us with His Grace and love.

Short Invitation

Open with story about the diner table at grandma’s and playing cards…things we talked about and things we didn’t (politics and religion) how mom and grandma would regulate the conversation....this text is like those moments playing out in scripture...

probably need either more stories or other scripture back up…maybe argument between paul and james???

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