Real Christian Living #2 (Studies in James)
Text: James 1:19-2:3
Being blessed with a good memory is wonderful in this life. Being able to acutely remember details of a conversation or facts can prove very helpful especially if you want to prove a point at least to yourself (because if you are the only one who can remember no one else might believe you).
My family has always been blessed with the ability for remembering even the minutest aspects of such. Russ Bone was asking Sara a while back how she could handle living with me when I can bring up conversations of two years ago word for word. My dad is blessed with memory but when I was younger in order to clear up some argument he was having with himself he would ask me to repeat a conversation by both parties.
It’s a wonderful gift especially if you want to be malicious. Now, I find myself doing the same with Sydney. She can bring up incidents and conversations from 5 years ago and it takes us a little while to remember it as well as she does.
I bring up memory because it is so important when we are talking about our walks with God and how we respond to the teachings of Jesus Christ. You know if we are not careful we can allow the Bible to always make us afraid. It is true we can go the opposite and think so little of God’s teaching that we don’t care what He says because we picture Him as this big pushover in the sky.
I’ll give you an example though of how we can use the Bible to make us afraid:
in our study of James we are covering this week what at one time to me was one of the worst passages of scripture.
Near the end of the 80’s, with the popular show Beverly Hills 90210, sideburns had become fashionable and trying to style your hair like Elvis was in. Well, I had managed to have a nice pair of sideburns and had enough hair on my head that I could manage to get a couple of waves in it.
There is something that got to me though; I would be constantly checking the mirror to see what the situation was with my hair. By doing so I would get myself into a fright over my spiritual condition:
‘For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.’ (James 1:23,24)
We can dumb down seriousness by joking…we excuse the abnormal and make it normal instead of something to work on.
We began last week looking at Real Christian Living—and this is serious business. To remember, Real Christian Living is what the early teachers in the church taught:
life can at times not work out the way you wanted it to and a decision has to be made with what are you going to do?
James says, endure and recognize the good that comes from God! Christians can actually face their trials of faith with joy because experience teaches us that when we are tested we become stronger. (it is good for us to face tests early on: marriage, faith etc.)
This week we are going to continue with 1:19-2:13 and remembering our face.
1:19,20- James calls his Christian family to listen up, to understand something. He brings us a three-fold formula that every person needs to put into practice. You know, how many problems would be avoided if we all did this:
quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.
Why should we do this James?
Because man’s anger does not produce God’s righteousness. And he puts in there that God requires.
Think about this for a moment:
Have you ever been the victim of someone who didn’t want to really hear anything you had to say but just wanted to tear a strip out of you?
How did that make you feel?
How did that help righteousness be accomplished?
You know when we are the opposite:
slow to hear, quick to speak and quick to anger we really accomplish nothing except either scare the other person (which is not right) or show how little we regard the feelings of the other (which certainly is not God’s righteousness). A lot of times, instead of excusing this; putting I’m sorry into our vocabularies would go a long way.
Look at what James says though and keep it in its context:
Quick to hear—we are to be people who are ready to listen. Not ready to accuse, jump on or defend but listen.
Slow to speak—this gives the idea that we truly are giving much thought to what we have to say and not only this—slow to speak will help curb the third area:
Slow to anger—Now, a lot of times people will defend what they do based on a somehow right because they were angry. James does not really concur with this.
What is the goal for Christians? To produce the righteousness that God requires! What is that? Let’s look on!
Vs.21- Listen to what he says:
Therefore—in light of what I have just said—put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness! With meekness receive the implanted word!
Now, look—be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. Vs.18- he spoke about the word of truth making us children of life. Now, he talks about receiving the implanted word (letting it be in-born).
Why must we be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger:
we must be willing to listen to the teachings of God!
If we are not, if we will not listen, but will quickly rebut and quickly get angry—we can’t, because we won’t, produce God’s righteousness.
The question we need to ask: do I profit from hearing the word of God?
This word is able to save us.
1:22-25- What does it mean to really listen or receive it?
One who listens to it is a doer of it. Again, James brings up one of his favourite themes: deceiving yourselves.
You deceive yourself if you think it is God’s fault you sin, now you deceive yourself if you think you are receiving God’s teaching when you really don’t follow it. Ezekiel 33:31-
Instead, you are like a person who looks in the mirror to see what he looks like and can’t remember it.
Instead, the blessed one (the one blessed by God) is the person who sees the perfect law (why is it perfect? Because it makes us free) & perseveres (endures)—he is blessed in his doing of it!
Listen, it can be difficult to follow God, it can be difficult to do what is right, and you are blessed when you do it. It can be difficult to receive a teaching that you are not following and then have to re-order your life but you are blessed for doing so.
1:26,27- What is true religion?
Some people think they are very religious but if they can’t bridle the tongue (can’t control it) their religion is worthless (they are deceiving themselves).
But, to take care of those afflicted (duty to others in distress) and to be unspotted from the world—this is religion God the Father considers undefiled. Religion consists of, but is not only, outward forms—1 Samuel 15:22- ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen that the fat of rams.’
Notice James says to take care of those in affliction:
Has the church of today allowed church treasuries and government run programs to keep us from doing what we should do?
2:1-immediately James puts his readers on notice: he re-calls them to think about Jesus. Our Lord, Our Lord of glory! Nothing compares with Jesus and listen: if you hold his faith: have faith without respect of persons! What do you mean?
Don’t think some are more important than others.
2:2-4- Were they guilty?
I believe so..James says let me give you an example:
There are a couple of things to notice about early Christian assemblies:
- Rich people would enter: it was not just a poor man’s church.
- This was exceptional though: look at the ‘big-to-do’ over the one entering.
Someone comes in: we got to make a big deal over him, another comes in and we ignore him.
James says when you make this distinction: you have become a judge with evil thoughts.
Churches must be careful. One convert is as attractive as another.
2:5-9- why was this such a problem? There are a couple of things:
- The poor have been chosen by God to inherit the kingdom! Yes, they are poor here and can’t contribute to a greater social wealth, but they are wealthy in God’s commerce of things. James is not suggesting all poor are chosen, But God did choose poor people. When you dishonor the poor man, you are dishonoring God’s elect.
- You prefer the one who actually treats you like dirt. It is the rich or the powerful that oppress you, drag you to court and blaspheme the name of Jesus. The rich man was most welcomed and they would repay them by dragging them to court, the poor man was not welcomed and yet he stood as an heir to God’s kingdom.
James has just said, true religion is taking care of those afflicted, and here they are smooching up to the non-afflicted and ignoring the afflicted.
Someone answers James and says we’re only doing what we’re supposed to do. Would you have us be rude to the rich? It’s kind of like people today who fawn over some and ignore others, they could use as an excuse that we’re supposed to fawn over them.
James answers ‘yeah, I agree we are supposed to love them.’ This is the royal law, the law of our King. As long as you’re doing that, you’re doing well. Nobody can disapprove of you.
But, if you show partiality in this—you commit sin and the law convicts you.
You know God’s old Law to the Jews had some important things to say and James may have had these in mind along with Jesus’ endorsement of such:
Leviticus 19:18- you shall love your neighbour as yourself
Leviticus 19:15- you shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.
Exodus 22:21-27—God will surely hear their cry. Injustice is criminal in the society of the people of God.
Claiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ and showing favouritism is hypocritical.
Everyone was sought by God when Jesus died, treat everyone as such.
2:10-13- James makes a good point here: break one part of the law and convicted by all law. Now, someone says: I’m keeping God’s word by loving the rich man, but you’re breaking it by dishonoring the poor man. (Leviticus 19:37)
So live as people who are going to be judged by the law that sets us free. Don’t play favourites, if you show no pity for those who are in affliction there will be no pity for you in your distress.
My friends, none of us can stand before God on our own merit, we need His mercy, His pity and to enjoy this ourselves we must show it to others.
I don’t know if you have caught this or not: James uses brothers often in this letter to catch their attention:
1:2, 16, 19, 2:1, 2:5, 2:14, 3:1, 3:10, 4:11, 5:7, 5:12, 5:19
Listen, we’re family; we’re in the same lot. James is attempting to mold this community of believers into a real family:
Endure your difficult times, be willing receivers of God’s instructions, don’t base your love on ‘who’ is before you and live as one who is to be judged by the law of freedom.
That brings up a good point:
God’s hope, God’s wish for us all: to have mercy triumph over judgment to be given the gift of freedom. Do you want this for your life?
Come to Jesus as he asks you to and taste this freedom and know God’s tender mercy…let’s stand and sing…
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