Elevate Your Liberty!
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
One preacher paraphrased the text, by saying: “ The man who looks intently into the Perfect Law of Liberty (which is freedom), and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does. “
When studying the Book of James, you will quickly come to realize that James’ ultimate desire is for us to put our Faith in Action.
• To say it differently, James says “Don’t Speak It, Unless You Mean It.”
There comes a time in your life, when what you stand for should be evident and apparent to all those that you encounter. At some point in your life, the visualization of your beliefs should shout louder than your words. (In other words; ‘What is seen, should speak louder than what is said”)
Growing up many of us are familiar with these says. . . .
• Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk. . .
• Practice What You Preach. . .
• Put Your Money where you mouth is. .
• Talk is Cheap . .
• Put Up or Shut Up. . .
• The Proofs in the Pudding . . .
• For all of you from Missouri, you might just say. . “SHOW ME!”
Regardless of the saying, the over all idea is for the person to Support what you say, not just with words, but through action or evidence.
In his Book, James challenges the believer to “PUT UP OR SHUT UP” by putting your Faith in Action.
Somewhere along this life’s journey a person’s faith should be vividly demonstrated in all that they do. A person’s faith can be likened unto one’s reputation in the sense of the saying; “One’s Reputation Preceded Them”, so must one’s Faith.
Biblical Examples:
• The Faith of Joshua and Caleb preceded them, as they spied “Canaan“ the Promised Land. (Numbers 13)
• Peter’s Faith Preceded Him, as he met with Cornelius and other Gentile believers. (Acts 10)
• Paul’s Faith Preceded Him, throughout his Missionary Journey’s has he shared the Good News of Jesus Christ for more than 30 years.
• Jesus’s Faith Preceded Him, from the time of His birth to his ascension, even until today.
John 5:17 "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."
Question: Does your Faith show up before you do?
Is your faith evident in the workplace, or only on display by the symbolisms of your faith that you hang in your office, cube or general workspace?
Is your faith evident in your home, or is it only represented by the over-sized family bible placed on the end table in the family room?
Is your faith evident in your neighborhood, or will it be a surprise to your neighbors that you are confessed believer of God?
Is your faith evident in your daily life, or does it only appear on the clothing you wear?
Over the past several weeks, Pastor Smith has been Teaching and Preaching on Liberty. Today, I’d like to continue along those same thoughts as we explore the topic of “Elevate Your Liberty” .
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
This sermon is dedicated to all those New Years Resolutionist who have vowed to do better in 2017. Many of us want to Elevate our Game in 2017 by:
1. Being Healthier
a. Eating Better
b. Loosing Weight
c. Starting an Exercise Program
2. Stop Smoking or Drinking
3. Better Financial Management
According to a recent study, many Christians have vowed to Elevate Their Game by:
A. Engaging with People More (Talk vs. Text)
B. Taking our Souls Seriously (Be more deliberate about what we are pouring into our Spirits.)
C. Increase our Kindness ( Exercise the 5th Fruit of the Spirit)
D. Choose Someone to Forgive (Release the anger/resentment- vengeance belongs to God)
E. In Forgiving, include ourselves (perfection belongs to God.)
NIKE - ELEVATE YOUR GAME
• Elevate Your Game with Nike Vision
• Elevate Your Game with the NIKE KD 7 ELITE
• Elevate your game with 2016 Lebron James (Zoom, Witness, Soldiers & FLYEASE)
• Elevate your game. The Kobe XI (“Aces & Elites)
As I was reading this article, I found it interesting on Nike’s approach as they began this campaign of ELEVATE YOUR GAME WITH THE “FLIGHT” SNEAKER COLLECTION.
o The athletes spend countless hours with the designers, testing and modifying their signature sneakers to meet the demands of the season.
o The athletes spend countless hours with the designers, understanding the latest technology with the desire of merging that innovation with their inspirational narratives.
o The athletes spend countless hours with the designers to make sure that the latest collection is all about elevation – from the colors selected to the lightning bolts on the KD7’s Elite.
So for us to Elevate our Spiritual Game we must spend time with our designer, our creator. It is important to spend time with the one who sustains us:
• Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
• Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
• 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the work of truth.
• James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.”
Jesus surely understood that as Satan Elevated His Game, so did Jesus. There are at least 12 scriptures that demonstrated Jesus spending time alone with the Father.
Matthew 14:23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
Step 1:
I. There is Liberty In Knowing God.
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
Question: What is meant by the Perfect Law of Liberty?
James is referring to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The liberty of the gospel brings about righteousness and salvation that leads to eternal life for the believer. But one must first know God to receive this liberty.
The late Rev. C. H. Spurgeon in his sermon dating back to Feb 18, 1855 said: “Who won our liberties for us? Who has loosed our chains? It was under the hand of God. ”
We owe our liberty to those who knew God, as ruler and Sovereign King.
My fear is that our nation that once proudly stated in the Pledge of Allegiance that was established in August of 1892 and revised by President Dwight D. Eisenhower (the 34th President) in 1954 to read: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Somehow, somewhere along the way, this Pledge has lost its significance –
• Are we truly one Nation
• Are we truly under God
Our Nation was established with the intent of being ruled and governed by the principles of God, which are found in the Holy Bible.
Based on the Pew Research Center, Time Magazine published an articled entitled “American’s Faith in God May be Eroding”. Study shows that only 63% of Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, that’s a drop of 8 points in seven years. The more disturbing finding of the research reveals that only 76% of Christians believe with absolute certainty, that God exist.
Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists . . . . . . . .”
Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understands me and know me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”
Spurgeon writes in reference to this verse: “You see, this verse tells us that the most important thing in life is to know God.”
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Without knowing God, one can’t be anointed; without knowing God, one can’t preach the Gospel; Without knowing God, one can’t heal the brokenhearted; Without knowing God, one can’t proclaim liberty to the captives; Without knowing God, one can’t recover the sight of the blind; nor can one provide liberty to the oppressed.
There is Liberty in Knowing God. . . God will grant you the power to act on His behalf. At that point, you can become a Redemptive Agent for God.
2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. (NKJV)
God is our Liberator. There is not liberation apart from God. Liberator is “A person who liberates a person or place from imprisonment or oppression.”
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Spurgeon writes “At any rate, cost what it may, (we are) to separate ourselves from those who separate themselves from the truth of God. This is not only our liberty, but our duty.”
Step 1: In Elevating Your Game
The 1st question for today is: Will Your Elevate Your Liberty in Knowing God?
Step 2:
II. There is Liberty In Seeking God.
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what
Psalm 119:45 “And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts”. (NKJV)
The Living Bible Translation of Psalm 119:43-47 “May I never forget your words, for they are my only hope. Therefore I will keep on obeying you forever and forever, free within the limits of your laws. I will speak to kings about their value, and they will listen with interest and respect. How I love your laws! How I enjoy your commands!”
Earlier, I mentioned the intent of the New Years Resolutionist whose desire is to Elevate Their Game by: 1.) Being Healthier 2.) Stop Smoking or Drinking 3.) Better Financial Management.
Let’s agree to Elevate our Game, like King David. Psalms 119 in it entirety should replace all other resolutions and it will surely give you Liberty:
Psalm 119: Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. 2 Happy are all who search for God and always do his will, 3 rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 4 You have given us your laws to obey— 5 oh, how I want to follow them consistently. 6 Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean record. 7 After you have corrected me,[a] I will thank you by living as I should! 8 I will obey! Oh, don’t forsake me and let me slip back into sin again. 9 How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. 10 I have tried my best to find you—don’t let me wander off from your instructions. 11 I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin. 12 Blessed Lord, teach me your rules. 13 I have recited your laws 14 and rejoiced in them more than in riches. 15 I will meditate upon them and give them my full respect. 16 I will delight in them and not forget them. 17 Bless me with life so that I can continue to obey you. 18 Open my eyes to see wonderful things in your Word. 19 I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map—and your commands are my chart and guide. 20 I long for your instructions more than I can tell. 21 You rebuke those cursed proud ones who refuse your commands— 22 don’t let them scorn me for obeying you. 23 For even princes sit and talk against me, but I will continue in your plans. 24 Your laws are both my light and my counselors. 25 I am completely discouraged—I lie in the dust. Revive me by your Word. 26 I told you my plans and you replied. Now give me your instructions. 27 Make me understand what you want; for then I shall see your miracles.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”
God is looking for us to pursue Him, to search for Him and to seek Him.
Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Step 2: In Elevating Your Game
The 2nd question for today is: Will Your Elevate Your Liberty by Seeking God?
Step 3:
III. There is Liberty In Serving God.
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
For the believer, James believes this is where “One’s Faith Becomes Real.” Put Up or Shut Up is the challenge presented to the believer. Faith in Action is the request.
• Hebrews 2:14 What dose it profits, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not works.
• Hebrews 2:17 “. . . faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
• Hebrews 2:18 “But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
In this life, mankind is constantly seeking that magic bullet, that silver lining to get ahead. To achieve status or power. This is evident in the 48 Laws of Power.
If you want true power, power that will impact the life of everyone you meet; try serving God.
Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (NKJV)
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (NKJV)
The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
• It purported to change the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved people in the designated areas of the South from "slave" to "free",
I propose that the Emancipation Proclamation initiated by Jesus Christ, is more far reaching and has greater impact on Humanity than the one enacted by President Lincoln.
• The Christian Emancipation Proclamation - has traveled on the wings of history of time through 21 Centuries.
• The Christian Emancipation Proclamation – has survived through the lives of committed believers for more than 20 and 4 generations
• The Christian Emancipation Proclamation – has been persecuted by every evil walk of humanity and demonic forces than one can imagine.
• The Christian Emancipation Proclamation – has been challenged by Satan himself.
•
Satan was so bold to even try is trick on Jesus, our Lord & Christ – as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11
• he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Matthew 4:3
o 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God
• 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
o 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.
• 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
o 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]
You elevate your Liberty in Christ, not just by living, but by how you live. You elevate your Liberty in Christ, not just by doing or even by what you do, but based on how you serve. The Liberty of God, The Liberty of Christ and the Liberty of the Holy Spirit is for all people “Whosoever will, let him come.”
Revelation 22:17 (KJV) “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
The only way to elevate your liberty is by increasing your Faith in God!
There is an American Express slogan that says: Membership has it privileges. I come to tell you that Serving God Has it Privileges.
James 1:25 “But he who looks into the Perfect Law of Liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
The benefits of knowing, seeking and serving God in liberty is that you will be blessed in what you are doing.
