James 2:14-18 Enriched and enriching or a whole lot of nonsense?
I’ve spent some time lately in the veggie garden; I enjoy the sights and sounds of the garden growing. The beans quietly stretching up through the soil, the tomato plant as it battles against the spring cold with its occasional dash of yellow that may grow into a plump orange fruit, the burst of colour of the salad lettuces, and all the time the work of the honey bees as they zip from raspberry flower to raspberry flower, and the odd drone of fat bumble bee as it joins in the work, taking its turn in the production of a fine accompaniment to vanilla ice-cream. I enjoy the garden for what it produces, and the process of the production.
Hands up the gardeners, hands up those who enjoy a good feed of veggies, hands up who enjoy fruit, and hands up those who like honey or ice-cream. Did I miss anyone? Have you heard of scurvy?
Think about this we can get our veggies from the garden, from a bag at the supermarket, or precooked at a restaurant but somewhere before the eating there had to be action on someone or something’s behalf for the produce to be on the plate. In his letter James delivers a message about work or deeds that is relevant to the garden and to our everyday Christian journey.
The book of James is one of my favourites, in fact after the gospels it is probably my favourite book in the bible. It contains some really great teaching for all who would follow the way of Christ. I would suggest that if you haven’t spent much time in this book; get some place alone and read it all. It’s only five chapters long and full of wisdom.
Who was this James? It is thought that he was actually a brother of Jesus, who until Jesus appeared to him after his resurrection, was a critic of who challenged Jesus and misunderstood his mission. Paul writes in First Corinthians 15:7-8 “Then he (Jesus) appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. “
Prior to my really getting into this sermon; think about this, if James who incidentally was also a leader in the Jerusalem council, and a pillar of the early church, came to believe and I mean really believe in his brother as the Christ after the resurrection, why would we be left in any doubt as to the truth. His conversion along with the conversion of Paul I believe are two of the most important pointers to Jesus resurrection being evidenced and accepted by non-believers.
James starts this part of the letter after giving the fellow brothers in the early church the message about showing favoritism which was apparently a bit of a problem back then, but (sarcastically) we wouldn’t do that would we; after all that was then and this is now.
The question he starts with is “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” He adds to the question with,”Can such faith save him?” I think he’s answered his own question.
He then asks “suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.
James even compares faith with out works as being like the body without the spirit, as in deceased, dead done finished. In verse twenty six, he says “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
1) When we come to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us as our comforter, helper, friend and encourager. We come to faith, however we are not only saved for our own sake, we are saved to be part of and play our part in God’s kingdom, God wants us to have a relationship with Him and to enhance our relationships with others. As Salvationists we say we are saved to serve. Some point to the ‘S’ on each shoulder and say that it is there to show we are “saved to serve.”
Change occurs, we become part of community, part of the body of Christ, it’s no longer all about me. It is now about God and community, about all of us. So if one of us is in need and we have what is needed, we have a need also. Our need is too meet our brother or sisters need! Not to meet the need as one who is the rescuer but as one who is a servant. (repeat)
So really as James points out if a brother or sister has a need and we are able to but choose not to then our faith is a nonsense.
Now we are talking about needs, not wants. James is also talking of brothers and sisters in Christ. We also believe that where there is a need is community if we are able to, we will meet it.
Faith unless it is accompanied by action is a nonsense, it’s dead. (SBI)
How are we able to meet a need? James was talking about those things that were a necessity of life, food, clothing, warmth and shelter.
There is a picture in the family store sorting room that I find quite a challenge. It is of a Salvationist family back in the early days of the movement and shows a rough looking young bloke being shown to the dinner table by a lady and her husband who is in uniform and who has just arrived home with this bloke. The rest of the extended family look on as does the picture of William Booth on the wall and inscribed underneath are three words “For Jesus sake” and the verse that is on the picture comes from Isaiah 58:7 it reads, “Bring the poor that are cast out into thy house.”
The reality of this picture is a challenge, how often have I taken the homeless the lost the last and the least home for a feed? How often have I stopped to serve those I know to be in need in the street, those who struggle with the realities of living today?
The reality is I could always do more
It’s surprising how little things add a spark to a persons life, the words you’re doing a great job with those kids, I’ve done some baking would you like these, could I keep an eye on the kids while you get the groceries amazing how these things made a difference.
There is however a lot who struggle. People who are battling with mobility or loneliness, people living alone who don’t really manage to cook a decent feed and a lot of them could do with hearing about your faith as you share part of your journey with them. Serving those around us is a different mind set, once more what we are called to do is countercultural. This is faith in action; Faith unless it is accompanied by action is nonsense. (SBI)
We can be Jesus hands and feet in this world!
2) In a culture that says take; James instructed his fellow believers to give, to serve, we to can take a hold of this countercultural teaching, there is something amazing about giving as an act of service,
Here are some quotes by a few famous people on serving:
“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others." Saint Augustine
“Whoever wants to be first must be a servant of all!” Jesus (Mark 10:44)
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all these." George Washington Carver
Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living." Einstein, Albert
The people I’ve quoted all knew of the value of service, Jesus was the servant of all, giving life to all through his own sacrifice. His faith was definitely accompanied by action.
There is a call on our lives to serve, to do deeds on the behalf of others, we are reminded by James because if you are anything like me, and you may not be, there is a tendency to become just a bit self focused, a little inward looking, more than a little comfortable with my stuff, wrapped up in my concerns, distant from those around me.
If you’re not like me well done!
However if you are like me, how can we struggle with our own humanness?
3) We can: James later in his letter says this “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13)
He then points out that this wisdom comes from heaven. As Christian people we are able to grow in our relationship with God and those around us as we study the word of God, which is incidentally full of wisdom.
We are able to grow as we stop leaning on our own understanding and submit to the will of God in humility. James even tells us that when we do this we can “resist the devil and he will flee from us.” James 4:7.
We can encounter life change as we live seeking after God’s wisdom.
This can be done as I have said, as we open the word of God. Can someone finish this sentence, that I’ve borrowed, “It will not …fail… us.”
I firmly believe that we all of us should have our heads in books, if we struggle with books our ears to the radio, DVD’s, CD’s and the like that enliven and enrich our Christian faith, maybe even a course in bible study, or attending a small group because faith unless it is accompanied by action is nonsense. (SBI)
We need to grow and be reminded of our understanding of God of his desire for us to be in relationship with him because; we are immersed in a world that would suck us dry of faith. We are in a battle with an enemy who would enjoy nothing more than that result.
You, me we all have needs, and God clearly calls us to support and journey with one another. However we have a tendency to become self focused.
Because the two things are opposed we are wise if we seek after and continue to grow in our understanding of God, and his will for our lives.
If we do not serve, if we do not maintain and enrich our understanding of God and build our relationship with him; we become like a garden without growth where the crops are never harvested, a place that produces no nourishment, because it’s not attended to, it becomes a barren waste or is overgrown with weeds and never reaches its full potential.
We have options: to remain isolated having a faith that is all about ‘me’ and my relationship with God; or to realise that if we are faithful to God’s teaching, to his word and we are lead by his Holy Spirit it becomes our very act of living, our very act of worship to be enriched and enrich the lives of others.
I guess it’s like this we have a choice, on one hand a living active faith, on the other hand a faith that is a nonsense.
If you have taken the time to read this sermon could you please rate it? Thanks Andrew.
