Be A True Friend Series

Be a True Friend!

Squid Game Part 3

James 1:22-27

Steve Meenho Kang

www.evergreencommunity.org

We are in part three of this series, “Squid Game.”

The Netflix drama “Squid Game” became the number one show on Netflix in all 83 countries where Netflix streams.

But why is this drama so popular all over the world?

One of the reasons is that it reflects the sentiments of the present age.

Especially, because of the COVID-19 crisis, people all over the world are experiencing many difficulties.

So many people live in competition with others to survive.

As a result, they are living lonely lives.

Many people feel that they do not have real friends that they can trust.

They view others as people that they are competing against.

This is why more and more people feel lonely nowadays.

They feel that they are all alone in this world.

A recent statistic tells us that the number of single-person households in the US in 2020 was 36.2%.

And in the U.S., 27% of adults ages 60 and older live alone.

No wonder why so many people feel lonely.

This drama reflects the lonely life that many people live nowadays.

Therefore, in this world where many people feel so lonely, how should we live as disciples of Jesus?

If James, the brother of Jesus, saw “Squid Game,” what would he tell us?

What would he tell us to do among people who feel lonely and all alone?

I. We must not just hear the Word of God (vv. 22-24).

Verse 22 says this.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James said that if Christians hear God’s Word and do not do it, they are deceiving themselves.

But how do Christians deceive themselves?

This happens in church every Sunday.

People deceive themselves this way:

“Because I came to worship God today, God will bless me.”

But James says, “To think this way is to deceive yourself.”

If we think like this way, we are thinking that something has value when in reality it has no value at all.

But people who are outside of the church see this truth right away.

They see Christians talking, acting, and thinking just like people who do not know God.

They see how Christians act and call them hypocrites.

And James said that they are right.

James said that what we hear is of no use unless we apply it.

It is good to hear the Word of God.

It is good to believe it.

But the most important thing is application.

Only when we apply what we hear, that can change our lives.

James gave a very good example to illustrate this fact.

Verses 23-24 say this.

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.

Those who do not do what they hear are like those who look in a mirror and see dirt on their face, but go out without wiping it.

If we are not going to wipe dirt from our face, there is no point in looking in the mirror.

After we look in the mirror, we would wipe off any dirt that is on our face.

People who come to church and listen to sermons and do not practice them are like this.

They wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “Wow!”

Yet they do nothing.

They just turn around, get dressed, go out, and spend the whole day without wiping the dirt.

God’s Word is like a mirror.

When we hear the word of God, we say, “Wow!”

“Wow! I have to do this!”

“Wow! I cannot do this!”

“Wow! I must love this person!”

“Wow! I must break this habit!”

“Wow! I need to spend more time with my family!”

But if we do not do what God has shown us, it is of no use.

We work so hard to fix our physical appearance, but we do not work hard enough to fix our lives.

But fixing our lives is far more important than fixing our physical appearance.

We do our makeup and take good care of our hair.

But they have very little to do with the direction and quality of our lives.

But what the Bible says about managing our finances, our personality, our relationships, our marriage, our family, and our sins has a huge impact on our lives.

Therefore, when God lets us see the things we need to change, we must fix them right away.

What matters most is not what we hear, what we know, or what we believe.

What is most important is what we apply.