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Be Christian!
James 1:19-27
If being a follower of Christ means something, prove it!
Sunday Morning Sermon
08.26.07
Intro: (Start with title and text)
What would happen if you were hired as a doctor – you got dressed for the first day of work, but when it came down to doing the work of a doctor, you didn’t do it? You look like a doctor, you have the clothes that a doctor would wear, you have the respect and the letters behind your name that all come with being doctor – but you don’t do the work. Are you a doctor? Let me suggest that – with all the education, all the right dress, all the respect doesn’t make you a doctor. Doing the work of a doctor makes you a doctor.
What would happen if you were hired to drive a NASCAR – you get all dressed up for the first day of work, you go to the race track, you sign autographs, you have special access to the pits, and you have conversations with the crew chief, the owner of the team and the NASCAR officials. You attend the drivers meeting before the race – but when it comes down to race time you never drive the car – you don’t even get in. Are you a race car driver? Let me suggest that – going to the track, signing autographs, and dressing in your race suit doesn’t make you a NASCAR driver. Doing the work of a driver, makes you a driver.
What happens if you give your life to Christ – you understand your sin, you understand your need for a savior so you accept Jesus as Lord. You rise from the waters of baptism (now I belong to Jesus…). You attend church – Sunday morning, Wednesday nights – every chance you get you are here. You take communion – you give your money. After the sermon is over you rise up, shake the preacher’s hand and smile the whole way. And that’s ALL you do. You never tell anyone about your faith, you never dig into God’s word and grow your faith, you never get beyond filling a comfortable chair for an hour on Sunday morning. Are you a Christian…or are you just wet from baptism?
Discussion:
I believe that you can dress the right way, do all the right things, say all the right things, stay away from all the wrong things – attend church every time the doors are open and yet be far away from the God who passionately loves you. This morning I want us to break away from just doing church. Break away from dressing up and playing the part.
The world we live in is going to hell, happy about sin, and ignorant about their separation from God. When they look into our lives – they must see a difference. When we claim to be Christian – we must do more than just dress right, do right and act right.
James wrote a letter to the church and I think our section this morning cries out BE CHRISTIAN. If being a follower of Christ means something to you, PROVE IT. Do something about your faith.
Turn with me to James 1:19-27 (read) (Advance)
He gives the church – three ways to show proofs of their Christianity.
(Advance)
I. Watch your mouth (19-21)
These are standards that the Christian is to follow – regardless of how the world acts.
a. Be quick – to listen – you were given two ears for a reason
i. Listen to those in authority
1. Teachers – Bosses – Parents – you can gain wisdom
(Advance)
Proverbs 5:1-2 (NIV) – My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, 2 that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.
ii. Listen to those around us
1. Co-workers – Spouse – Children
Your ability to listen will solve many relationship problems. Listening also requires not being heard – it’s a form of service. Allowing someone else to tell you about their day, or their problems or the joy they have in their lives it helps you grow because it puts your life back into perspective.
iii. Listen to the word of God
1. Translate it obediently into compatible behavior
(Advance)
Joshua 3:9 (NIV) – Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.
There is a risk that by not listening you will change the word of God into something it is not. Or that it will be changed to honor you or justify your sin.
I cut someone off in traffic – give them the finger (show them who’s boss) – I could justify my righteous anger (Cause all the anger a Christian has is righteous) – Jesus turned tables over in the temple. Really? That’s probably not a good use of scripture. Paul tells the church in Corinth – (Advance)
1 Corinthians 7:29 (NIV) – What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none;
Are those words directed at me? If I have a wife I should live as though I don’t have one – Really? Probably not. You can take scripture – and if you don’t listen to it, and hear what it is saying – and take the context into consideration, you can come up with something that fits you, instead of you transforming and changing your life to fit the life that God desires. Paul predicted this would happen inside the church. (Advance)
2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV) – For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
It happened in Paul’s time – it happens today. But if we take the time to listen to the word of God – and apply it to our lives it won’t happen to us. Be quick to listen – He tells us to be slow in something.
b. To speak
We reverse this too often. It’s hard not to want to voice your opinion. After all – this is America; we have “freedom of speech.” The ability to speak your opinion separates this country from others, and is one of the rights that make us who we are.
i. This will require growth – because it’s not natural
Someone said, “It’s better to not speak and let people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” God’s word says it this way: (Advance)
Proverbs 10:19 (NIV) – When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Remember this is all tied to your witness as a Christian to those around you. Again, you should hold your tongue even when those around you don’t. That’s why this holding your tongue is also connected to
c. Your anger – be slow to become angry. (Advance)
James 1:20 (NIV) – for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
If you understand that God has a desire for your life and a purpose for his salvation in your life (Can you shake your heads yes, that you understand) – your life can’t match up with anger present. One way to deal with anger is to listen first, talk second and when you do talk know the power of your words. Paul tells us in Galatians that the over-flow of the spirit in your life is peace and self-control – anger doesn’t make the list.
d. Your anger – prohibits you from accepting the word of God in a humble way.
i. If the word of God is not accepted – neither is the salvation that comes along with it.
Watching our mouth is so important in the life of the Christian. It’s one of the things that will separate you from just looking and playing the part of Christian, to being Christ honoring in your life. The difference is God’s ability to use you – and him withholding his purpose because growth needs to occur. If watching our mouth is important – here’s number two (Advance)
II. Watching your actions (22-25)
James is telling the church and us – put the word into action. You listen to the sermons every Sunday -- EXCELLENT – do what the preacher says. You read your Bible in personal study time – EXCELLENT – do what the word says. If being a follower of Christ means something, prove it.
a. The world needs to see
i. Christians loving those who hate them (Advance)
John 13:35 – By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
I know Christians we tend to call a spade a spade – especially when we feel like we have a full deck of cards ourselves. I have found that people who “tell it like it is” generally tell it like they see it, and generally it’s harsh and unloving. Jesus had that ability to tell it like it was (the only human who was honestly able to do so) – but he NEVER, NEVER, NEVER spoke the truth, without speaking in love. He never approached a sinner without first understand their need for salvation.
John chapter 4 – we see a very human side of Jesus – the guy who could walk on water and raise people from the dead – he was thirsty, tired from the walk and it was the heat of the day and few people draw water in the heat of the day. But he finds himself at Jacob’s well. There was someone else at the well – the opposite end of the spectrum – if you have the holy Lamb of God in Jesus – you have the worst outcast, the best of sinners in this woman. Jesus did not – approach her sin first, but he doesn’t ignore it either. In this woman you have sexual immorality and great religious confusion – those two are very common even today.
For those of us who tend to call it how we see it – you are just begging for Jesus to put this woman in her place and wait for her to repent. Here’s what Jesus does.
b. He shows her truth – through his love
i. He doesn’t put a big letter on her forehead
ii. She was already an outcast – he doesn’t add to it
iii. He teaches honestly and clearly – waiting for that teachable moment.
iv. He gives her a chance to respond – and she does.
This is what James is talking about – doing the word – putting the words of scripture into action. I doubt you will ever meet a woman at the water well in the middle of town, but you might meet someone who is an outcast. You might meet someone whose lifestyle and understanding of God’s word is mixed up. You probably work with people like this everyday – who are crying out for a sense of truth and the Love of God. James is simply saying – be that person. Be the bridge that covers the gap – be the tool or the instrument that helps those around you.
c. Blessing comes
i. When God’s people (that you and me) when we act and reflect the image we were created in.
1. when we find our strength and hope in him (Advance)
Psalm 34:8 (NIV) – Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
ii. Doing the word of God shouldn’t be something foreign or forced –
1. It should be the overflow of listening to the word
2. It should be the overflow of wanting the blessing of God in your life.
It’s easy to get caught up in the “I want God’s blessing in my life but I don’t want to do anything for it.” Reality and God’s word says – we make God’s blessing accessible in our lives when we are dedicated, when we know the word and live the word.
d. We impact our world
That’s what this is all about anyway – making a difference in the world we live. The goal is to make that difference so real in our lives that it overflows into the lives of those around us. Pointing people to Jesus as the light – Jesus said:
(Advance)
John 12:46 (NIV) – I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Your Christian walk means something to you – GOOD – prove it by watching your mouth and your actions. Here’s the third thing we should watch. (Advance)
III. Watch your Religion (26-27)
There is such a stigmatism with the word “religion” in our society. I don’t want to have a church full of religious people; I would rather have the church full of people who have a relationship with Jesus. In the time of James – that’s what it meant – it meant relationship.
a. Your relationship/religion – how do you make it worth something?
i. Keep a tight rein on your tongue – watch your mouth
1. choose your words wisely
2. choose your words after some thought
3. quiet yourself when you should be quiet
4. Speak when you should speak.
Lean on the spirit of God living inside you to help you know when and what to say. Most of the time in speech, less is more. Remember this has to do with your relationship with God and those around you.
b. Worthless religion
i. Using your mouth as a weapon – Paul tells the church in Ephesus (Advance)
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
The world is watching your speech. Those outside the Christian community are watching how we build each other up – so we need to watch it too.
c. Good religion – pure and faultless religion – 2 things
i. Take care of widows and orphans in their distress
A widow in that time usually was the low in society; she often couldn’t take care of herself because of the way their world was set up. James is saying – church, step up to the plate and take care of and meet the needs of people who can’t take care of themselves. This is where the leadership, especially those who serve, is very important. This is where the eyes and ears of you are important that we can meet the needs of those around us.
ii. Keep yourself from being polluted by the world
How do you keep yourself from the pollution of the world? We could come up with all kinds of rules and regulations to define what this means – you don’t go to the mall or eat at a restraunt that has a bar in it. You don’t smoke, drink or chew or hang out with girls that do. It could include Redbird games or pro basketball games. All music beyond 3 balled preachers singing, “She’ll be coming around the mountain” would be burned. Long hair and faded jeans, we could say they are marks of the devil. I know good Christian people who read this verse and have come up with rules and regulations over their lives and the lives of their children.
Christ living in you and your obedience to his word in your life is your righteousness – Nothing more – nothing less. Let me repeat – Christ living in you and your obedience to his word in your life is your righteousness. It’s not based on the jeans that you wear and the pro basketball games that you attend. If Christ is living in me, and I am obedient to his word with my life – he is my righteousness, because he is the source of all righteousness. Will my obedience to his word keep me from doing certain things – Absolutely, I probably shouldn’t be closing down the bars.
d. You keep yourself clean of the world
i. By not removing yourself from the world – but making an impact.
ii. You impact the world by hearing and doing the word of God.
Jesus hung out with sinners and tax-collectors but he didn’t participate in their sin. He made an impact on his world – we are called to do the same.
Conclusion:
One of my favorite sections of scripture – (Advance)
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Being in Christ is what separates the old from the new. Being in Christ is the difference between the old going away and the new taking over. Being in Christ is the difference between just being Christian and proving your Christian walk as valuable and worth something.
But there’s really only two ways to go with this. Either you are or you are not.
Either you are relying on grace, working your salvation out allowing the new to come in. Or you are stuck in the old – possibly working with rules that you were taught or religion that you were given. Either you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and that relationship is growing and moving forward, or you don’t.
This morning we are going to close with a word of prayer asking God to reveal to us this morning if we (this is personal) have that good relationship or if things in our lives need to change. Let’s pray
