James: A Faith That Works (6)
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I read a story the other day about a man who was late for church…
As he snuck in the back of the sanctuary, he asked one of the men standing there: “Is the sermon done yet?”
The man responded: “The sermon has been preached, but it has not yet been done.”
The sermon isn’t done when it has been preached, but when it is put into practice!
(What a statement! One of the biggest challenges in the Church is the gulf between the message preached and it being practiced in the life of the believer!)
Charles Spurgeon once asked: “To what purpose do I stand here so often, and pour out my soul before you…? I am an unhappy sower, if all the handfuls of seed which I scatter must needs fall upon unbroken soil, to be devoured of birds, and never take root.”
Every pastor I know can empathize with Spurgeon’s concern here… and so does James…
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
Our preaching — our message — our faith — is worthless if it is not put into practice!
A.W. Tozer laments: “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun… It is the glaring disparity between theology and practice among professing Christians. So wide is the gulf that separates theory from practice in the church that an inquiring stranger who chances upon both would scarcely dream that there was any relation between them.”
He goes on:
“An intelligent observer of our human scene who heard the Sunday morning sermon and later watched the Sunday afternoon conduct of those who had heard it would conclude that he has been examining two distinct and contrary religions… It appears that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of FEELING right, but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of BEING right.”
OUCH!!!!
That’s harsh!
I want to be optimistic and say that we aren’t like that in the Church today… BUT… in reality we are!
Far too often we are just hearers rather than doers of the word.
Too many people today want to hear “well-worded” and “well-spoken” sermons… they want to be “lifted up” and made to “feel” good, but not expected to do anything.
There are far too many people — both pastors and lay people — who would rather talk about theology than Practice theology.
But… That is not what God wants!!!
I said before: James is the most practical book in the Bible.
James confronts these people… He confronts us… and says: “You cannot be this way! You cannot simply hear the Word and do nothing with it… That kind of FAITH is worthless!”
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.
21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
A Faith that Works is not about “head knowledge”… it is not about appearances… or popularity… it is about PRACTICE!
James tells us to
James 1:22 (NRSV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
and then in verse 26 he says:
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
James doesn’t say “This is the way you SHOULD live.” As if there is a choice…
He boldly confronts us and says: “Be DOERS of the Word”, and to “Bridle our tongues.”
In other words, “If you are not living in this way… then your religion is… WORTHLESS!!!!”
Look at verse 26:
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Did you hear that last part? (we often miss it)
James tells us to “keep ourselves UNSTAINED by the world.”
Twice in this passage, James warns us against self-deception…
— we tend to set up our ideas about the Christian life… to make little gods out of them… that allow us to live comfortably in our own wills, all the while convincing ourselves that we are living according to God’s will…
Let me tell you:
satan loves for us to profess our faith while not putting it into practice.
— satan doesn’t care if you are religious, or if you read the Bible, or even if you have a ton of it memorized… he only cares whether you PRACTICE it or not!
(Truth) satan will not try to get you to not profess faith, only to not PRACTICE it… (and worse, he’ll make you feel good about it!)
But… God is not happy with that…
God desires a “religion” — a Faith — that changes lives!
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
James could have substituted a lot of things for “controlling his tongue” here…
— lust
— hatred
— hostility
True Religion makes a Difference!
A Faith that Works is heart felt and life changing.
William Barclay — “James does well to remind us that that which is heard in the Holy Place must be lived in the market place — or there is no point in hearing at all.”
In verse 19 and in verse 22, James tells us to “be quick to listen” and then to “do what it says”…
He is referring to the idea of “shema”.... “Shema” means “to hear”… to truly understand…
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
This is the statement of faith that is supposed to push Jewish believers into action…
James is telling them — us — “if one hears, but doesn’t act on it, then he doesn’t really hear at all.”
Faith matters… James is concerned with True Faith!
He is concerned with a Faith that is concerned with both HEARS the Word of God AND PUTS IT INTO PRACTICE!
— Faith is not merely hearing and believing — it is ACTING on what we believe.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
James is saying: “A Faith that Works is Faith in ACTION…”
And that is characterized by three things: Godly Language, Godly Love, and Godly Lifestyle.
Let’s break those down.
Godly Language.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
In verse 26, he adds:
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
I can’t think of a more practical test than this one.
Are we able to listen?
Do we know when to hold our tongue?
Can we control our temper?
Let me tell you… being known for a sharp tongue and a quick temper does not make us an effective influence for Christ.
There was a young man who once approached Socrates to ask him to teach him the gift of great oratory…
The man — in an attempt to impress — made his request with an incessant stream of words…
Finally, Socrates put his hand over the young man’s mouth and said, “Young man, I shall have to charge you double!”
The man asked him “why?”
Socrates said, “I will have to teach you two sciences — how to hold your tongue, and then how to use it wisely.”
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.
Religion that makes a difference is characterized by GODLY LANGUAGE.
2. Godly Love.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Authentic Faith is relationship oriented.
Christianity is not a “success” plan or system… It is a way of life!
Scripture reveals that everything boils down to two commands: Love God and Love your neighbor.
False religion attempts to pile up good works in order to win acceptance…
But, true religion — true faith — accepts God’s gracious love and passes it on to others.
True Faith looks in the mirror — It notes who we are - not compared to others, but compared to God… and it recognizes the GRACE that He has given to us.
God’s love is far more than a love that says “Because you love me, I love you back.”
It is not about a “return on the investment,” or a “you have to earn it” thing…
God’s Love is freely given… not a response…
God’s love is a love for those who are down trodden and in distress — a love for the vulnerable and weak — a love for the unlovable — Church that’s us!!!
God’s Love is a love for us! When we don’t deserve it!
19 We love because he first loved us.
We are told to Love our neighbors… and to Love our brothers and sisters…
But… Who is our neighbor? Who is our brother and sister?
They are the same… they are those whom God loves!
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
If we are going to have a Faith that makes a difference, the we must have hearts that beat and break for the things that burden the heart of God.
As long as there are widows and orphans in the world… as long as there are homeless and poor people… as long as there are victims of abuse, crime, and illness… then we, Christians, are called to do something about it.
Why?
Because God cares!
15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?
Our Faith makes no difference unless it is characterized by GODLY LOVE.
And Godly Love looks out for the needs of others.
3. GODLY LIFESTYLE.
21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
and in
James 1:27 (NRSV)
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
This is a challenge to be holy and pure.
James tells us the same thing that both God and Peter tell us:
16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
We deceive ourselves when we claim to be Christian — to be Holy — but then continue to live in Worldly ways.
The world is characterized by moral filth and evil…
it’s all around us…
We can easily be polluted by it — especially when we delude ourselves into thinking that we are “good to go” just because we call ourselves Christian and go to church.
As Christians, our task is to take seriously the task of removing the moral, worldly filth and evil from our lives.
— We must look in the mirror — and see ourselves as we truly are!
— We must SEE the little gods we have allowed to establish themselves in our lives… and we must get rid of them!
With God’s help, we can!
God CAN and WILL help us to live a Godly Lifestyle!
We must strive for it!
— We must strive for Godly sexual ethics… Godly business ethics… Godly social ethics…
Does that sound easy? NO!
A Faith that makes a difference is hard… It requires our constant attention and effort.
More than that… it requires God’s assistance.
We need God’s wisdom and power to live a Godly lifestyle.
5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
Living out our faith is not easy, but God promises to help us.
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
James, here, gives us three steps to take to develop a Faith that makes a difference!
LISTEN to the Word.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
We often do the opposite of that… We are quick to anger, quick to speak, and extremely slow to listen.
God gave us two ears and one tongue… We need to be listening twice as much as we speak!
— We must learn to truly listen to others… to hear them… to understand them… but more importantly… we MUST learn to listen to God!
James 1:21 (NRSV)
21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
We must open ourselves up to hearing God’s voice.
— in scripture
— in Godly counsel and teaching
— in the soft whispers and prompting of the Holy Spirit…
The wise and dedicated servant … will listen to God.
That means reading and studying His Word… listening in worship and Bible study… seeking Godly counsel… and spending time in prayer — LISTENING for His voice!!!
We will not build a Faith that Works without a listening heart and mind.
But… hearing alone won’t do it…
2. HUMBLY ACCEPT the WORD.
James 1:21 (NIV)
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.
God places His Word in us… He “plants” it in us…
Our heart is like a garden… the Word is the seed.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus warns us about having a heart that is hard, rocky, or weedy…
Once we hear the Word, we must accept it — we must receive it and believe it.
We need to keep the soil of our heart free from hardness and weeds… so that the Word can take root and grow.
It is easy for us to allow our hearts to harden to God’s Word, because… let’s face it… God’s Word often tells us… teaches us… demands of us… things that are against our will…
We must trust God… We must trust His work in us… His love for us… and humbly allow His Word to grow in us.
But none of that dos any good without the final step!
3. IMMEDIATELY Obey the Word.
Hearing and accepting the Word of God as truth is useless without obedience to it!
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
How many of you spent some time looking in the mirror this morning?
Why do we do that?
— We want to look our best…
— We want our hair to look its best....
— Men, we want our beards to look good, our faces to be shaved…
— Ladies, you want your makeup to look good…
When we look in the mirror and see that there’s some work to be done, we don’t just walk away and forget about it… right?
We get to work… we fix the issue… we comb our hair, trim our beard, put on some makeup…
Can I tell you this?
Unlike a physical mirror, which only reflects our outward appearance… Scripture reveals our inner character… It reveals where our lives need work.
It does us no good to look intently into God’s Word… to see what needs to be addressed… and then to walk away and do nothing about it.
It does us no good to come to Church… to come to a Bible study… to hear a message… and hoot and holler and shout “Amen!”
But then forget it the minute we walk out the door!
25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
God’s Word leads to freedom… it leads to blessings… WHEN WE APPLY IT!!!!
Religion that is all about listening and never gets around to doing… is worthless!
God will bless us, and will bless others through us, when we put His Word into practice.