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This week we are back to our series from James. Today we will be looking at all of chapter 2. In lasts fortnights message from James 1, we saw three things.

1. Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
2. Be doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word.
3. Be someone who practices pure religion.

Today we will also have three points. The titled of this message is “Living the good life of faith”. But first let us have a look at the text.

Bible Reading

James 2:1-26 – My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others?  2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewellery, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.  3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”–well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?  5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom He promised to those who love Him?  6 But you dishonour the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?  7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?  8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”  9 But if you favour some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.  10 For the person who keeps all the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.  11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So, if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.  12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.  13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.  14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?  15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”–but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.  18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”  19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?  21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.  25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.  26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Message points

1. We can’t discriminate or show favoritism because of appearance

Verse 1 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others?”

It is a straight forward and clear reminder not to favour one person over another.

In verses 2-4 it gives the example of favouring richer well-dressed people over poor people. It talks about giving richer people preferential seating, while the poor sit on the floor. It pretty much says “rich at front, poor on the floor”.

Story of an undercover Pastor

Recent I read a story I want to share that illustrates this point.  It is about a Pastor and what God asked him to do before he started at his new church. It made such an impact in his community that it was reported in newspapers and on TV at the time. I will put links on the website version on this message.

“On the morning of Sunday, June 23, 2013, the newly-appointed pastor of Sango United Methodist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, Willie Lyle, lay down at the foot of a tree on the church grounds with an overcoat for a blanket. Unkept and bearded after spending most of the previous week on the streets, he looked for all the world like a homeless man, which was precisely the effect he hoped to achieve.

“He wondered how many people would approach him and offer him food, or a place to sit inside an air-conditioned room, or just see how they could help,” wrote freelance reporter Tim Parrish in a June 28 story for the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. “Twenty people spoke to him and offered some type of assistance.”

When the time came to deliver his inaugural sermon he did so from that very spot, changing into a jacket and tie and shaving off his beard with the help of his daughter as he spoke. “Before the 200 people gathered that morning,” Parrish wrote, “he went from looking like a homeless person to the new pastor of the congregation.”

Appropriately, Lyle’s sermon was a call to emulate Christ, to not judge other people by appearances. “Our goal should be to improve and change the lives of people as we live like Jesus,” he said in closing. “You see, we look at the outside of others and make judgments. God looks inside at our heart and sees the truth.”

We need to remember that God sees everyone as special, as created in His image and made with a purpose. And there is not one person in this world that Jesus did not die for. As a result, we can’t discriminate and treat others differently.

As verse one said, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others?”

2. We need to love our neighbours as ourselves

Verse 8 of the text brings it into focus. It says, “Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

Throughout the Bible these thoughts are echoed.

Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD”.

Matthew 22:37-40 – Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment.  39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Rather than living by 613 laws that the Jews had to live by, Jesus summed them up in two!

Romans 13:8 – Owe nothing to anyone–except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbour, you will fulfil the requirements of God’s law.

Galatians 5:14 – For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

All of these verses talk about loving your neighbour as yourself. Treating people equally and with respect. And treating others how you would like to be treated.

As I said this is a common theme through the Bible. It is found in the writings of the OT law, Jesus said it, Paul spoke of it and in our reading from today, James (Jesus’ half-brother), says it again.

So let us purpose in our hearts today to love one another – to love our neighbours as ourselves.

3. We need to show our faith is alive and well

Verse 14 says, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”

In the passage, we see two examples of faith in action. Abraham with his son and the sacrifice. And Rahab the prostitute who hid the spies.

James 2:21-22 – “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete”.

James 2:25 – “Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road”.

James says that both Abraham and Rahab were right with God. They were right with God because of their faith and trust in Him, and their actions followed their faith. Their actions didn’t save them, it showed their faith was real. Just like there are many people in the world today who do good things, but they are not saved because they do not have faith in God.

Verse 15 and 16 gives us a practical example of lived out faith for today. “Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?”

Real faith is both believed as truth and then manifests itself in actions. Verse 17 reminds us that, “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless”.

True faith is more than agreeing with a set of principles. It actually transforms our thinking and our actions. As I was preparing this week I had to ask myself this question – If my life remains unchanged by James chapter 2, do I truly believe the truths I claim to believe. I went on to ask myself – What things can I do today to show my faith is real and alive? What good deeds can I do to demonstrate my faith is not dead?

We need to show our faith is alive and well. We do this by our actions.

Closing summary

Today we have looked at James chapter two. We saw three main things.

1. We can’t discriminate or show favoritism based on appearance
2. We need to love our neighbours as ourselves
3. We need to show our faith is alive and well by our actions.

Let us purpose in our hearts this week to remember these three things and put them into practice.

Amen.

Link to Pastor story

Pastor Goes Undercover for 5 Days as Homeless Man
USA Today, 24 July 2013

Today is our third message in our series from James. So far, we have looked at the first 18 verses of James and seen a number of interesting things.

1. James tells us that we should be joyful when struggles come our way – because it a chance for growth.
2. James tells us to ask God if we need wisdom – He will give it to us.
3. James tells us that God will bless us if we endure through trials and temptations – we will grow and receive a crown of life.
4. God is not the source of temptation
5. We can overcome temptation with God’s help
6. Remember you are His prized possession

Today we will be looking at verses 19-27 and the title of my message is “Listen, Do, Practice”. These are three words that are in our reading today and will form my three main points.

Bible Reading

James 1:19-27 – Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.  21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.  22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Message points

As I said there are three main points I want to bring out today. These will finish off James chapter 1.

1. Be quick to listen

James 1:19 – Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

This is another point great James makes in this series of faith and action. Be quick to listen and slow to speak.

One of my Pastors used to say to me regularly to me that we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak. This was great advice that has helped me a lot over the years. Two key reasons my Pastor used to say when we listen properly, we hear what the person is saying and it shows the person is of value to us.

Several years ago, when I worked at the hospital we had to do some cultural awareness training to teach us how different cultures communicate. One that grabbed me was the Aboriginal culture. We had an Aboriginal member of staff who explained the term silent conversations. This is where they speak and leave space for the other to process and think about a response.

He explained it is vital for Aboriginal people to be able to think about what was said and how it impacts them personally, their family and community before they respond.

I really think we can all learn a lot from Aboriginal people and the way they communicate. Silent conversations have a lot to offer. For many people, giving people time to think or respond how they want is a lost art.

As James says in verse 19 it can save a lot of stress too. He says quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry. When we listen correctly, we are less likely to misunderstand what is being said and be upset or offended. As James tells us getting all fired up and angry doesn’t really help God’s Kingdom purposes (v20). As we know, in some cases it can even set it back.

So let us remember James words – be quick to listen.

2. Be doers of the Word

James 1:22 – But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Another great piece of advice from James. Don’t just listen to the Word, put it in to practice.

In our reading today, James also says if we don’t put the Word into practice we are like a person who looks in to a mirror and goes away and forgets what they see. In the Greek, this is not a passing glance in the mirror. The Greek word kat-an-o-eh’-o means to look intently, to behold, to consider, to discover. It is talking about an in-depth look and then forgetting what we see. If we look into the Word and then forget what we see, there is no chance of us putting it into practice.

Putting the Word into practice is a recurrent theme throughout the Bible. One example is when Joshua was about to lead the people into the promised land. God said to him, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do (Joshua 1:8).

Jesus echoed this idea of putting the Word into practice in Luke 6:46-48, “Luke “So why do you keep calling Me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?  47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to Me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it.  48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.  49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

From the examples of James, Joshua and Jesus, we can see just how important it is to be doers of the Word. James says we are fooling ourselves if we don’t, but if we do we will be blessed. In Joshua, it told him that Joshua will only be successful if he obeys the Word. And Jesus says we will be like a person who builds their house on a strong foundation.

Just before I move on to my last point I want share a memory from Bible college. For our New Testament class, we had to memorise 100 verses for the final exam. Two of my friends were proudly stating that they had memorised 85 and 87 verses respectively. They asked another friend how many and he said, “I know James 1:22”. He went on to say it is important to know lots of Bible verses and it will help us pass the exam, but it is more important to put the verses we know it into practice. It really brought home to us it is great to know a lot of Bible verses, but it is even better to know them and put them into practice. It is where the rubber hits the road.

Today let us remember to not just be hearers of the Word, but let us put it into practice.

3. Be someone who practices pure religion 

James 1:26-27 – If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

In this last section James gives us three ideas of what expects from us who want to practice pure religion. It is not so much a definition, but some examples.

The first example is controlling our tongue. James uses the term “fooling yourself” for the second time in this passage. The first time it talked about not doing what the Word says. This time it is about controlling your tongue. Controlling our tongue is so vital for our witness as a Christian. Our words carry so much power. They can build up and encourage, or they can tear others down. They can be used to praise and worship our wonderful God, or they can be used to gossip about others. They can be used to share our faith with others, or they can be lie and tell crude stories. It is just so vital if we want to practice pure religion to control our tongues.

The second example is the look after orphans and widows. Verse 27 says in their distress. In the KJV it uses the word affliction. It means to look after those who are going through trials and struggling. It is more than a visit, but a caring for and really looking after their needs. This is even more emphasised when you consider there was a good chance a window or orphan in NT times would mean homelessness or much worse. One reason why I think this is considered pure religion is because often these two groups of people often cannot do anything to repay you. It is one way help – us to them.

The third thing that James talks about is not being polluted by the world. As Christians, we know that the world around us has a way of pressing in on us. It tries to mould us and shape us into its image. For us as children of God to overcome the world, we must keep standing firm when all seems against us. When we are tempted to follow the worlds systems of doing things, we overcome when we follow God’s principles. We overcome the world when we continue to set our hearts and minds on things above. We overcome the world when we stay strong in the Word and remember that “every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” as it tells is in 1 John 5:4.

The kind of “religion that God our Father accepts” is the kind that exerts a positive influence on one’s life. Pure religion is both internal and external. Internal in the way that is penetrates our hearts and minds and brings about real and lasting change. It is also external in the way it changes the way we live. It lives a life of holiness before God and a life that truly loves and cares for others.

Pure religion means to control our tongue, to care for orphans and widows and to stay pure in the midst of a polluted world.

Closing summary

This is the final message in James chapter one. We have seen a number of real and practical things that can help us put our faith into action. Today we saw…

1. Be quick to listen and slow to speak.
2. Be doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word.
3. Be someone who practices pure religion.

Amen