LIFE APP – Applying Faith In Our Lives
James 1:19-27 (p. 847) September 14, 2014
Introduction:
As I get ready for this message from our Life App series...I thought of a conversation I had with a young man named Shannon. He was newly married and had been a Christian for about a year.
Shannon had grown up in the Catholic Church and after his parents divorced he and his mom started attending the Pentecostal Church and then after he met his wife Vickie he started coming to the Christian Church. (Folks, women will get you to do things you said you’d never do. I think God made it that way! LOL)
I’d preached a message the Sunday before on 1 John 1:9 which says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Shannon called and made an appointment to talk with me about “sin.” To cut through the fluff to the core...he said, “Brother Rick I don’t believe I sin anymore after coming to Christ.”
Since it’s not too spiritual to say, “Are you wacko!!?” I said, Shannon why would you think that...he shared about a minister teaching him that in Christ...“His righteousness is our righteousness and sin no longer is our master.”
I said Shannon that’s true, but if taken out of context to say that “sin” is no longer an issue for us after our salvation...after all the Holy Spirit is given to us to “transform us into the image of Jesus.” (Romans 8:29) but while we live in this world in this “body of flesh” we will be tempted and sometimes we will fail...1 John 1:9 is written to answer that failure.
I said Shannon let’s look at scripture together and let me ask you a couple of questions....He was open and teachable and said, “That’d be great!” I started with this scripture from James.
JAMES 1:19-27 (p. 847)
(Question One) Have you ever lost your temper in anger and said something that was hurtful? Something you regretted? I know he was married, so I knew the answer to this question.
(Question Two) Have you ever known it was right to do something, or to help someone and you didn’t do it? I mean you didn’t hurt them, but you choose not to help them either.
Human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness that God deserves and James 4:17 says, “Anyone who knows the good they should do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
The truth I shared with Shannon and I’d share with you this morning is...we all sin, even after our “new birth.” Some are sins of commission...we know it’s wrong...and we choose to do it anyway to please ourselves...usually it’s to provide immediate pleasure!! Some sins are from “omission,” we know we ought to get off our donkey and help the guy in the ditch, but we choose not to because it’s messy and we’re busy. We pass by on the other side.
I thought long and hard about that conversation with Shannon about sin as I prepared this Life App message concerning Applying Faith In Our Lives.
First of all:
I. APPLYING FAITH STARTS WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
James says, “My Dear Brothers & Sisters, take note of this:
I had a professor at Johnson that would say...”Class, it behooves you to write this down.” When Dr. Black said that “you’d better write it down, because you were going to see it again!”
James is saying the same thing...you’re going to encounter this in life...PREPARE FOR IT!!!
Prepare your attitude for people...for your relationships, your conversations daily.
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (v. 19)
If you want to learn...listen quickly, speak slowly. If you want to hear someone, even God...choose this attitude.
Real relationships are about how we communicate. Most arguments become verbal boxing matches between 2 opponents trying to knock the other down. We argue what we believe...get more angry and forceful when the other person doesn’t agree. “Don’t you understand what I’m saying?” “Can’t you hear what I’m trying to tell you?!!!”
No, neither of you can because you’ve stopped listening and are now trying to prove how right you are. Anger closes your ears and your heart. And the righteousness of God doesn’t live in this place.
Angry people don’t listen to God either. Satan stokes the fires of dissatisfaction and discontent. “Why did this happen to me? Why was I passed over? Why can’t I find someone? God can handle our emotion...anger is not a sin...you can be angry and not sin, but it is a threshold of emotion.
EPHESIANS 4:22-27 (p. 816)
James is saying the same thing...anger can open the door to attitudes that cause you to sin in your relationships. It doesn’t produce in your life righteousness...
James says “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you.” (v. 21)
Illustration:
[I was in Louisville the other day and I have this old hotrod, a 31 Ford pickup down in my garage. It’s covered with dust and dirt right now. You can barely see through the windshield and windows because I’ve let it build up. I haven’t paid much attention to it. You can’t see in or out.]
That’s what James is communicating here don’t let your life get piled up with filth and evil...he used the Greek word “Rhupos - covered with dirt” to illustrate what can happen if we choose anger and sin as the attitudes we live by.
In the Life Application of faith, James goes on to say that
II. APPLYING FAITH INVOLVES DOING THE RIGHT THINGS
Real faith is like a seed that’s planted, takes root, and eventually grown into a fruit bearing tree.
Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ according to Romans 10:17. James says, “Accept this word planted in you, which can save you.”
But he says that faith involves more than just accepting it...faith involves living it!!!
Faith starts with a humble listening heart, one where the Holy Spirit begins to deal with the moral filth and evil that have covered our hearts, but real faith, saving faith, goes beyond hearing the right things...obedience to God involves doing the right things.
Notice the attitude...the motive is dealt with first...this isn’t a theology of works...of earning God’s faith...it’s an application of faith...God’s spoken...He’s cleansed me...now let’s serve Him!!!
[Suppose I tell Karissa and Peanut I want them to clean their room before “Nana” gets home (Karissa is really amazing at helping and I never have to tell her...but pretend.)
“Karissa & Peanut do you understand what I’m asking?” And they respond “yes Papaw you want us to clean up our room before Nana gets home.”
“Right!” They’ve heard me...They understand what I want them to do...They’ve been obedient right? They’ve applied it right?
No!! If they clean their room before “Nana” gets home, then they’ve been obedient.
“Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James Bacon said, “It’s not what men eat, but what they digest that makes them strong. Not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich, not what we read, but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we preach or pray, but what we practice and believe that makes us Christians.”
If you receive a revelation...a truth that calls for change through God’s Word, and maybe there is even an “emotional” conviction that you feel and experience...but then you do nothing about it...you deceive yourself into thinking that “the emotional conviction was enough...
JAMES 1:23-25 (p. 847)
Or, maybe even more applicable to our church at Gardenside, and many others in America James warns about knowing a lot about God’s Word...a vault of scriptural knowledge...maybe even becoming a “Biblical” snob...deceived with the fact that I have all kinds of scripture knowledge...maybe even teach it to others, understand it enough to explain it to a class. But then both of us leave and never do anything about this truth. And we convince ourselves...studying it was all God really wanted us to do in the first place.
God’s Word is intended for revelation and change...not the accumulation of Biblical facts!!!
There are no exceptions to this Life App. And it’s one of the scariest places for a person who claims to follow Christ to be. “Almost as if this person says. “I’m at a place where I no longer need to be open and obedient to the Word of Christ.” I’ve done enough. I’ve learned enough.”
If God’s Word doesn’t move to your heart, your hands, and your feet...how can His purposes be accomplished?
[I was serving at a church one time where we’d purchased new tables...and part of the policy and procedure was...“The tables were not supposed to leave the building.” But my secretary received a call from one of our older leaders and his niece wanted to use the tables at her house for a reception. She was told “no.” gently and lovingly, but here’s the policy and why...This leader wanted us to make “an exception” after all rules are made to be broken.” No...no they’re not...rules are made to be kept by everyone equally, or they’re not rules. If you reach a place where you begin to think “you are an exception” you are spiritually in a very dangerous place.]
If you look in the mirror and think, well this really doesn’t apply to me, and promptly forget what it shows...what good is the mirror?
The opposite is the person who looks intentionally into the mirror, “the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they’ve heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.”
And once again God’s Word addresses our speech...
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues, deceive themselves AND THEIR RELIGION IS WORTHLESS.” (v. 26)
I’ve had several ask me, “what was the reaction to last week’s message?” And my response is...let’s see if people start applying the truth that gossip is a cancer to Christ’s body and a critical heart is deadly. Time will tell if religious people will become Godly people. Religious people who come to church but have uncontrollable tongues...have a worthless religion. Not just a damaged or unhealthy religion...WORTHLESS.
You see God’s Word is the mirror, but you and I will choose whether to surrender and submit to its truth when it’s revealed or not.
Finally, James teaches applying faith starts with the right attitude, continues by doing the right things, but it also involves putting others first.
III. APPLYING FAITH SACRIFICES FOR OTHERS
Why keep a tight reign on your words...because words affect the hearts of others like nothing else! And others attitudes and encouragement...their spirit is more important than my entertainment or feeling of power.
Christianity at its very core is never selfish. We’re selfish all the time. It’s the deadly sin disease we fight every day. It’s a lesson I hope the young man named Shannon I mentioned at the beginning learned. It’s one Rick Burdette continues to learn.
If our words aren’t Christ honoring then our so called religion is worthless. Those words also have to consider the needs of others before the wants of self.
So James ends this section with a very specific application of real faith...
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: look after orphans and widows in their distress AND to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (v. 27)
The world operates with this theory...“You scratch my back...I’ll scratch yours.” I’ll help you but there’s gotta be something you do for me in return.
Or let’s even deal with nice, moral people in the world. “I’ll love and take care of my friends and my family...I’ll treat the people I love good.”
Here’s what Jesus said that means exactly what his brother James was communicating.
MATTHEW 5:43-48 (p. 678)
Christianity isn’t about trading love for love...or loving those you like....Everyone does that, even the IRS and non-believers.
Following the footsteps of Christ involves sacrificing yourself for those who can do nothing for you in return...like widows and orphans. You don’t trade love for love or love for like, you want to be “perfect” like your heavenly Father...so you listen when His Spirit speaks...and asks you to give love away.
Faith is the application of Christ’s love through you and me to a lost and hurting world.
