Faith 101

As I mentioned we are kicking off our series “Faith that Works”

Where throughout this series James is trying to bring our faith as Christians and how we live together.

He is trying to build that bridge

but he starts out by talking about expectations.

I don’t know about you guys but growing up their were so many expectations placed on who I was going to be.

I remember me falling short of the expectations likes getting good grades in high school

I remember me living up to the expectation of

Luckily we have smart teens in our church who probably meet that expectation

I remember meeting other expectations with sports.

But ultimatley I have had so many expectations placed on me throughout my life.

And expectations are usually good,

But there have also been negitive expectations placed on me and I a am sure their have been negitive expectations placed on a lot of you as well.

And the issue with expectations is that they often become a reality.

Their have been study’s done that show if you tell a child they are going somewhere amazing in their life they will actually do it.

But the same is true for the oppisite.

If you tell a child they are worthless and useless their life starts to be shaped around that identity.

So expectations really shape who we are, which is great if you grew up with great friends, family, and just a great enviroment, but what if you did not.

Because some people grow up being told you are going no where

You are a terrible person

You are going to be a druggy when you grow up just like your father.

you are going to make the same mistake over and over again.

and expectations become destructive.

and in todays passages that we are in James starts off by talking about expectations.

So if you will turn to (if you have your Bible)

because right before this passage James talks about how a lot of times we get our expectations from things that are ultimently destructive.

Even if you are in a good enviroment their are still destructive expectations on our life tat are a result of sin and when we have these distructive expectations in our life it ultimiently results in death.

So here James tells us the expectations in our life we should have.

So once again the passage is and it says:

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

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.

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.

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.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

So Like I mentioned before this James talks about how right before this how often times expectations in our life our a result of sin and often lead us down a terriabe path.

And our identity is shaped into that.

But what is great is at the beginning of this passage James tells us look you have all of these negative expectations in your life but every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord.

And he continues to tell about the opposite of these negative expectations which are life giving expectations.

And you know James realizes that all of the expectations that people have in their life change often whether they are good or negative.

But he mentions how God is constant

In the midst of having everything and everyone telling us how to act, how to live, how to be, we have a God who says I am constant

He wont say you need to live this way one day and change the next.

But He stays the same and He is purley life giving.

James talks about how often times things in life seem like shifting shadows where you dont know whats going to happen.

Like I said people expect different things from you throughout your life

Circumstances change

But whats amazing is the sun does not really change.

That world might rotate around it and the worlds position changes which causes shadows to change.

but the sun stays the same.

And thats how it is with God situations might change, our attitude might change, our expectations might change but God remains constant through it all.

And when we follow Christ the expectation on our life becomes life giving instead of destructive.

We become children of the light rather then all of the other harmful identity’s that are placed on our life.

I don’t know about you guys but I want my identity in that.

Because when we accept Christ into our life we change who we are.

and we are able to live a life that is amazing.

But I don’t know about you guys but have you ever looked at a Christians life and have gone they are not ling how they are supposed to.

Dont you think they should be living differently?

Well look at verse 22 because James is writing a general letter to a lot of Jewish people who are new Christians and he wants them to understand who they are in Christ.

So in verse 22 he says stop just listening to scripture and doing nothing about it but live out your faith because when you are not you are deceiving yourself.

that word deceive means that we are cheating or making ourselves believe something because of a false reasoning.

James tells us that when we accept Christ into our heart we end up becoming children of the light whiches changes who we are.

And if that does not change who we are then it makes it so we decieve ourselves.

I don’t know if any of you have ever been in a race of any kind but when you are racing you know exactly the distance you need to go in order to complete the race.

If you are running a marathon you don’t just start and then stop at the 1 mile mark and go I think I am finished.

you have to run the full distance

Because if you stop at the mile mark you have not finished the race.

its common sense.

The same goes with anything

You need to finish what you started otherwise what was the point of doing it?

How true is that with our faith?

because oftentimes as Christian we like to listen to the word of God but we stop and do nothing else after that.

Its like we start a marathon race but we decide to stop at mile 1 because we think that we are done their.

But let me tell you guys something... if you are running a marathon and stop at the first mile because you think you are finished people are probably going to make fun of you.

And if you say I ran a marathon, they will probably say no you have not.

But for some reason we decide that as Christians instead of running the full marathon and living out the word of God

We stop at mile 1 and go I think I’m good.

Because we complete the very first part but then we go nah I don’t need that second part.

But just like how people question if you really can say you ran in a marathon people are going to question wether or not you truly accepted Christ.

Because when you look at the Bible time after time you see that the Bible talks about peoples whose lives have been drastically changes because they had an encounter with Christ.

Elijah who we talked about

Paul went from a person who persecuted Christians to one of the main leaders of the Christian movement

all of the disciples decided to follow Christ and most of them give their lives for Him

The people who Jesus healed would change immediately.

So why is that we as people and sometime even God’s church follow him but have nothing to show for it in our lives and often times have not done anything about it?

Because James knows that our faith is not a passive faith but it is active.

Because look at verse 23-24 because James talks about when we listen to God’s word but do nothing about it, it is like a man looking at a mirror and he goes away and forget what he looks like.

I do not know if James used a man looking into the mirror on purpose in that verse but men tend to do that more then women.

Ill look into a mirror and go okay I look fine.

Ill look at it and might see a giant piece of spinach in my teeth but it looks fine.

Now when Arika she actually will notice if theres something on her face.

And James is saying when we look at a mirror

When we are in a relationship with Christ and are in the word of God we should look at that and come out differently.

We see ourselves in light of who Christ is calling us to be and are changed by his grace.

And when we are changed our lives start to become transformed.

Verse 25 says how we start following Christ law

But we think of law as restraining us but it says that it actually give us freedom.

It allows us to live up to who God is calling us to be.

And Paul closes this section of scripture by going look if you consider yourself religious… if you consider yourself a follower of Christ and you are gossiping, talking poorly of others, and tearing people down with the words you are saying, you are just lying to your self.

You say you are a Christian but look at how you are living!

Someone who comes to church on Sunday, maybe even other times but outside of church their lives don’t really look that different.

and James is tiered of Christians viewing Christianity as a ritual exercise where you just come to church on Sunday, because look what James says next in verse 27.

God doesn't want us to just practice a realign where you are just coming to church on Sunday but he wants a person to have an active faith where they are looking after those who are orphans, caring the widows, and loving those who need help.

God wants our lives to be so transformed when we encounter God that we impact everyone around us.

I don’t know about you guys but I do not want to ever have it where we are only living out part of our faith.

I don’t want to be the person who starts running a marathon and only runs a mile thinking their done.

And honestly its not about just the works but when you have your faith in Jesus Christ your works flow out of that.

You always hear testimony after testimony about people who sit in church and just go through the motions until there is some form of transformation.

But God has some big plans for you when you decide God I put my trust in you so much that I give you all of me and I am just just going to have faith but because of that faith I am going to do what you are calling me to do.

Today we will be taking communion together as the body of Christ.

I love communion.

Its a time for us to celebrate and remember what Christ did for us when he died on the cross

But it is also a time where we can come as a body of Christ despite disagreements, despite conflicts, despite issues we come as a body of Christ to remember Christ sacrifice.

And when we take part in this sacrement I believe that we change.

We become more like Christ and our faith turns into faith that works.

In communion we proclaim His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.

The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament, which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.

The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.

All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I am going to invite you to come forward during the next song and maybe you have not been living out your faith or maybe you don’t have a faith in Christ. This would be the perfect time to get things right with God. so please come forward

Song

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

Eat the Body

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

Drink the Blood

Pray