Reflecting Christ Daily

James: An Active Faith  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Truth and Mercy

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Have you ever made incredible progress in something that you cared about, just to get set back considerably? What was it? How did you handle the setback?
A game of chutes and ladders...
If there is one thing about Nate’s and my preaching it is that we are always willing to make ourselves living testimonies to the struggle found in our human-ness.
If there is one thing about Nate’s and my preaching it is that we are always willing to make ourselves living testimonies to the struggle found in our human-ness. And tonight is no different.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

The rules demanding our perfection, demanding our all, our best
demanding our all, our best
()
Now we meet Jesus, the humanness of God, here on Earth sent amongst us. To eat and sleep as we eat and sleep. To live where we live, but to display for us the perfection which is required by God the father.
In meeting Jesus we are now face to face with God’s righteousness with his fairness, with his relentless love.
We are given this righteousness through Jesus, not by his mere presence but by our faith in Him.
This faith knows no human boundaries, none of religion, creed, race, or wealth. This faith can encounter people wherever sin can encounter them, this is to say, anywhere. This faith can come to all.
All in faith are made just in God’s eyes, restored to Him by grace and through the debt paid by Jesus Christ as the Atonement.
A person is justified by faith, apart from works of the law. For those not in the law have the same God still. For there be only one God.
Abraham encountered God, had faith in Him which God credited to Him as righteousness. Our justification is not made whole in our works but in God’s mercy and our faith in God (
We too have the position in which God will credit us with righteousness, through placing faith in the resurrection and atonement through His son Jesus.
When this is read alongside James, I think naturally we feel the two are a juxtaposition, however, I feel this would be a misunderstanding and miseqauivocation of terms. Works and deeds though similar are not the same. Paul is writing in Romans that we can not earn our way into heaven through our work. James however is saying that our deeds are an extension of our faith. We are not saved by them, but we are called to them.
James always goes straight for the jugular. Here he is talking about such a moment, he is talking about how our life is a living testimony to the Christ we serve. He is telling us to not seek revenge, not bear a grudge, He is telling us to keep ever mindful of who the Lord is.

18 “ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Like you, I am supposed to be the living testimony of God, of Jesus.
Sometimes I am the living testimony of the Jimmy I serve.
Folks when this happens I am not a reflection of Mercy, I am not a reflection of God’s never ending love, I am not a reflection of the depth of His forgiveness, I am not a reflection of his blessing and provision.
Or am I?
I wish I could say I am not a reflection of him, as surely as I wish this spray paint could cover this mirror completely.
And that is the problem, in these moments I am not just reflecting me. As if I have some cloaking device or magical ring making me or rather my jesus invisible. No that would be too easy, what I am actually doing is just reflecting God poorly.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

The broken violin that broke my walk....chutes!
In the moments where we live out our life in Christ poorly, this is precisely the problem, and it is much worse than showing myself. Because the world doesn’t know Jimmy Thyden, thank God. The wrold doesn’t rely on Jimmy Thyden to restore them to the righteousness of God’s kingdom. The world doesn’t rely on Jimmy Thyden to be merciful and perfect in love. Thank God.
NO the world relies on JESUS. Whether Christian or not, they KNOW JESUS is supposed to be love. And what I did was disprove that to them in an instant. They KNOW Christian or not that JESUS saves. They KNOW Christian or not that JESUS transforms and redeems, and sets free. There are enough bumper stickers, t-shirts, and tweets and FB Posts for the world to know these things. Which in and of itself would be GREAT if driving those bumper stickers, wearing those t-shirts, and composing those tweets, selfies, and posts wasn’t a person living, acting, or speaking in a way that doesn’t reflect that JESUS at all.

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

SO WHAT?

8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
God meets us at out weakness and asks that we try and try again. Try harder, and be better still. Through an Active faith we will.
The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
An Active faith is an Abiding faith
We abide in fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters that keep us close and when necessary accountable.
We abide in fellowship with God through devotion time. Moments set apart for God’s dwelling within us.
We abide in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, obedient to the prompting of our soul to take the right path or get back on it.
An Active Faith is an Abiding faith, how can you abide more this week?
“God’s commands are loving. What God asks His children to do-like pursue justice, love mercy, live humbly () is what we want to do anyway, at least in our best moments. We are created to be living examples of God’s love to a hurting world.” - Craig Groeschel
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