A Child of God is a Living Bible
Some people are concerned over the "rash" of many new Bible translations" that have appeared in recent years. They wonder which version is most reliable and which is closest to the original.
These questions open the door to endless rounds of passionate debate. Some feel so strongly about the reliability and accuracy of the King James Version, that they view those who read any other translation as being virtual apostates headed straight to hell.
On one occasion when three clergymen were arguing on this matter, a fourth man remained noticeably silent as the debate unabatedly raged on. When he was eventually asked for his opinion he said, "I like my motherís translation best."
"Your mother translated the Bible?" He was asked in surprise. "Oh yes," he replied. "She translated it into life. It is the most convincing version I have ever come across!"
I can almost hear James saying "Amen" to this poignant reply. Many have no time to look at any written version of the Bible but almost everyone is impressed by the truth of Godís Word when it is lived out in the character and conduct of a truly earnest child of God. To use Jamesí words, "such a one is bent on being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. (James 1:22).
How do you figure that you measure up to this admonition by James? Be careful how you respond, for we must all acknowledge the fact that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wickedÖ" (Jeremiah 17:9) Sometimes we actually get caught up in fooling ourselves to think otherwise. Isnít this true?!
What comes to mind when you think of the idea of being a "doer" of the Word? I find it interesting and very significant that the examples which James cites (verses 26f), are grass roots in character. He doesnít talk about teaching an adult Bible class, leading a choir, pastoring a church or carrying the Gospel to some far off land. No, none of these high profile positions get any mention. James instead tells us to be careful in what we say.
Words Can Cause Great Hurt
Faith, that has substance in the sight of God (vs 27), is that which is found in a person who keeps a tight rein on his tongue(vs26). It is caught up in such practical ministries as that of caring for orphans and widows in their distress. Faith allows us to shut-out the contamination of the world and keeps us pure.
Now the tongue is the very focal point of the third chapter of James where he warns us that words can cause great hurt. I am absolutely certain that in any given year, unkind words are the root cause of the destruction of more lives than those that fall victim to guns, knives and knuckles.
So let us all be careful of what we say.
Remember as youngsters the expression, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"? Nonsense! This expression is an outright lie! A dangerous lie.
As living Bibles, what words come out of your "version"? Are they words that accurately and reliably reflect those of a Holy Spirit-filled Christian? If they are not beloved, then place your faith in the Lord to give you the power to restrain your tongue. He will enable you to be a "doer" but only if you place your trust in His enabling power. How often we forget this unfailing truth!
Do not be discouraged if you have failed in this regard. Godís reclamation project on you usually does not happen overnight. Trust in Him. Let the Lord use you as an example of making the impossible possible.
Faith Produces True Godly Works
The ability to restrain our tongues by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit by faith, is just one example in which faith affects our works. True Godly works do not come from us. They are the result of our faith in God to make them happen. And all of this faith is supplied by the Lord. (Romans 12:3)
The passage of James that we are studying this morning voices the Lordís concern that we do not neglect the practical dimensions of our faith.
Some have tragically misinterpreted the meaning of this essential passage of scripture to assume that salvation comes by works. This controversy is not new, in fact, at the time of determining what should and should not make up the cannon of Scripture, there were those who argued that the book of James was teaching salvation by works and should therefore be excluded. Had these individuals succeeded, we would have lost an essential dimension in understanding the true meaning of works. And this understanding is as follows:
If you have no "works", it is most unlikely that you have any real faith either.
"Works" are not the means of salvation, but they sure better be the consequence, or you have no grounds for believing that your salvation is real.
Beloved, we must always be on guard to never assume that the Godly works that we produce are really from us. When we do this, is it not a form of idolatry? Are we not worshipping ourselves rather than the Source of our good works?
In other instances, some of us get trapped into looking at our works as a form of currency to appease God either through guilt or out of fear of losing our salvation.
Godís love canít be bought. He doesnít want us to pay Him to love us by works. Love is not a commodity or transaction. You are a child of God. Your works should be expressions of this awesome fact.
That is, they should be sincere acts of affection to Him. An enthusiastic affection, much like that of a three year old who comes running to the door to hug her father when he arrives home from work. It is a genuine and sincere love. Not out of fear or compulsion. This is how you should love and honour your Father in heaven. Of course, this renewed innocence and sincere love can only come as a result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
We Are Surrounded by Orphans and Widows
You know one of the amazing things about the Bible is its contemporary worth. At first, you thought that you might conclude that we are not surrounded by a multitude of needy widows and orphans, and therefore, this text has little application in our day-to-day lives. We might argue that the passage was written for another time and another place. But step back just a little and take a second look at the world around you and I think that you will reach another conclusion.
Beloved, our community has a host of widows and their numbers are increasing every day. Statistics Canada tells us that on average, women outlive their husbands by eight years. While many are faring well in terms of food, housing and healthcare, tragically, a large number of them remain destitute in the spiritual and emotional realm.
I donít know of many who couldnít use a little old fashion TLC. How many widows do you know? How many outside the family of God? What can we do about drawing them alongside? Likewise, what do you really know about your neighbours and their needs? How can you help them as servants of the Lord?
And what about the orphans? The dictionary tells us that an orphan is one bereaved of his or her parents. Doesnít this definition apply to a child who comes from a broken home?! I certainly think so. I would go so far as to argue that a child whose parent has died is likely to be emotionally better-off than the one who has been abandoned. In the latter situation, the child experiences rejection and often is overcome with feelings of guilt . In many instances, these poor kids believe that they are responsible for the whole mess while those orphaned through the death of a parent view the loss as being a tragic yet unwillful act. Had the parent not died, he or she would still be by the childís side.
And what about all those unemployed young people who are struggling with a sense of self-worth? In essence, they are orphaned from the world. You see them wandering around the streets, hanging out, staying up all night, with either vile, provocative or disheveled clothing, hairstyles, tattoos and pierced body parts. Few of them will admit it out loud, but what they are really doing is visually presenting the tremendous inward spiritual and emotional pain that is tearing them apart from within. What you see are wounded children silently screaming for true love. A love that Jesus can provide with abundance. A love that Jesus wants us to share with them.
We need to go out calling. And as my wife Irene has urged, we need to pray. We should begin with the in-house kids, but letís not stop there.
We Have Greatest Product Ever Offered
Of course, I recognize that many of you have quite a struggle with this kind of ministry.
It may surprise you to know that I was just such a person in years past. Indeed, I had a rough time the day I began my first ministry here in Toronto. When there was no one home to answer the door at the first house that I visited, I think I actually thanked the Lord. Thank God that He gave me the power to break out of this fear.
Why are we like that? Why are we so nervous? We have the greatest product ever offered. We have the message of eternal life and we act like we were trying to pawn off the proverbial white elephant.
Why?
Well there are two reasons. The first is that we are focusing on the messenger and not the message. We are thinking of ourselves. How are people going to react? Will we be rejected or called fools? Then thereís awkwardness of potentially difficult to answer questions.
Basically we are not thinking of Christ. We are not thinking of his command to go and preach the Gospel. We are not thinking of his urging to confess Him before men; of His promise to never leave us nor forsake us; of His declaration that if He be lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. Instead, we think far too much about ourselves and make the fatal choice of relying on using our own strengths and talents.
Look, it is not you and I that save souls, it is Christ in us that is the power of God unto salvation. However, if we donít take the power to where it is needed, it will never have the opportunity to come to bear on the unsaved heart.
The second reason for our inhibition may be that we have really forgotten what we were before the fact of our salvation and hence the present state of those we seek. To use Jamesí words, we have forgotten what "manner of man" we were and perhaps even the fact from which we have been delivered (vs. 24).
We need to recognize that out there are souls who are never going to know the precious message of salvation if we donít carry it. We need to be reminded that their destiny is hell, not North York General Hospital.
A Good Shake
Have you ever been in an orchard at harvest time? You know, at that moment when the fruit is so ripe that they literally drop off on their own accord? Or under a tree just after it has rained and drops of water have yet to fall from the leaves? Itís fun to shake the tree at that time- especially if someone else is standing under it!
I just have to believe that God would give us a wonderful harvest of souls if we were but willing to shake our community a little more vigorously. In order to do this, we first need to get over our inhibitions.
This can be done by taking a fresh look at where we were before we met the Lord. We need to remind ourselves of the destiny of everyone yet outside the family of God.
So letís stop worrying about ourselves and how we will be seen by the lost people of this world and instead start worrying about their eternal destiny. Sure some of them will laugh, show indifference, maybe even throw a fit, but some will come to Jesus and they will be eternally grateful!
Do you want to serve the Lord? Do you want to hear Him say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"? Then move out for Christ and as you do, anticipate the end blessing like that revealed in this story.
A Soldier For Christ
A young Christian was drafted into the American Forces and assigned to a recruit training centre in the mid-west during the Vietnamese war. His platoon sergeant was a hard-nosed veteran of three operational tours, a man who prided himself in always having the sharpest outfit and in turning out what he believed to be the best combat ready soldiers. He was a true soldier, living his profession around the clock. He was tough and intolerant of anyone who wasnít. And so when our young Christian knelt by his bed at the end of his first day, it triggered a stream of abuse that seemed sure to augur a parting of the way or at the very least, a retreat from such an overt act of witness.
But the young lad was strong in faith and persisted in his prayers and in the reading of the Scriptures. The sergeant was equally persistent in his way as he heaped abuse upon abuse in his efforts to break the young soldier. Events came to a head one evening when in his anger the sergeant removed his muddy boots, hurled them at the kneeling figure of the young Christian catching him in the side of the head. In a rage, the sergeant stomped out of the barrack room and headed for the bar.
Next morning, the sergeant awoke to find his boots sitting at his beside. The mud and grime of a dayís hard training had been replaced by a shine that any soldier would have been proud to wear on parade. The young Christian had worked well into the night in his effort to serve his Lord, to reap the promise:
"That whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he bring not a forgetful hearer, but doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (vs.25)
The result of his willingness to truly serve his master was the winning of a precious soul to Christ. The sergeant become believer- a soldier of the Lord.
You Are Jesusí Local Representatives
Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ is calling out: "Who will go for me"? Not necessarily to some Pacific Island; not to the mission fields of Africa; not to the hinterlands of the Asian Land Mass; but who will go locally here at Willowdale, Thornhill or Richmondhill? Who will seek the needy who sit on our very doorstep?
Who wants to let God use their life to carry out good works? Not for salvation. Not out of fear of punishment by a mercurial God but instead out of a child-like love to serve our loving Father in Heaven?
Beloved, I hope that it is each and everyone of you who desire this call of service. And for those of you who are struggling with this matter, pray to the Father to give you the courage, strength and faith that is required to be good and faithful servants. As believers in Christ, you are His local representatives. You have the greatest product in the universe and beyond to sell. You also have the complete support of the Almighty behind you. Let Him make you a good representative. Let Him make you an excellent living Bible version!
Let us close this service with the glorious Word of God,
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21) (KJV)
Date of Sermon: May 18th, 1997
Newtonbrook Baptist Church
North York, Ontario
Canada
