In her book Amazing Grace, writer and poet Kathleen Norris shares what she calls “the scariest story” she's ever heard about the Bible. Norris and her husband were visiting a man named Arlo, a rugged, self-made man who was facing terminal cancer. During their visit, Arlo started talking about his grandfather, a sincere Christian. The grandfather gave Arlo and his bride a wedding present: an expensive leather Bible with their names printed in gold lettering. Arlo left it in the box and never opened it. But for months afterwards his grandfather kept asking if he liked the Bible. Arlo told Norris, “The wife had written a nice thank-you note, and we'd thanked him in person, but somehow he couldn't let it lie, he always had to ask about it.”
Finally, Arlo grew curious enough to open the Bible. “The joke was on me,” Arlo said. “I finally took that Bible out of the closet and I found that granddad had placed a twenty-dollar bill at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, and at the beginning of every book… over thirteen hundred dollars in all. And he knew I'd never find it.” (Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, Riverhead Books, 1998, p. 95; www.PreachingToday.com)
Sad to say, that describes a lot of people. They own a Bible, but they never open it to find the treasure that it contains.
Just a few years ago (2012), the American Bible Society commissioned the Barna Research group to do a study on Bible reading and biblical literacy in America. Some of what they found was encouraging. For example:
85 % of American households own at least one Bible, with a household average of 4.3 Bibles. Furthermore, 69 % of Americans believe the Bible provides answers on how to live a meaningful life.
Even so, 26 % of Americans never read the Bible. Another 10 % read it less than once a year. And 54 % were unable to identify the first five books of the Bible.(American Bible Society, "The State of the Bible 2012"; www. PreachingToday.com)
That’s sad, because within the pages of this Book (hold up Bible), there is a treasure far greater than any amount of money one could hope to find. And if you have your Bibles, I invite you to open them and turn with me to James 1, James 1, where we find the treasure that it contains.
James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (ESV)
If you’re a follower of Christ, God planted His Word in your heart, so it could “save your soul”. Now, in this context, God’s Word can save you from giving up and giving into temptation in the midst of your trials.
James is not talking about our eternal salvation here, since he is addressing “brothers” (vs.19), i.e., those already in the family of God. No. James is talking about a temporal salvation, i.e., our deliverance from despair and disobedience when life gets hard. In verse 18, the Word of God caused us to be born again. Here, in verse 21, the Word of God keeps us from sin in our trials. Do you want to pass the tests of life and come out on the other end of your trials a better person, more like Christ? Then…
RECEIVE THE WORD!
Welcome God’s Word into your life. Accept God’s message to you in the Bible. That means more than just own a copy of the Bible (or 2 or 3).
That means, at the very least, open it up and read it every once in a while. Develop a daily habit of getting into God’s Word, so it can rescue you from despair and disobedience in the midst of your trials. The psalmist said, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
Someone once figured it out that if you read the Bible at standard pulpit speed (slow enough to be heard and understood), it would take you 71 hours. If you break that down into minutes and divide those minutes by 365, you could read the entire Bible from cover to cover in a year, investing less than 12 minutes a day.
I challenge you, if you are not already doing it, invest just 12 minutes a day in God’s Word. Set aside just 12 minutes every day to read the Bible. It will give you a whole new outlook on life and “save your soul” from a debilitating despair in the midst of your trials.
Receive the Word! That means read it every once in a while, but more importantly, that means do it! Put God’s Word into practice. With God’s help, seek to live it out, to make it a part of your life.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (ESV)
Some people have read and reread the Bible, so much so that they know it backwards and forwards. They’ve heard hundreds, if not thousands, of sermons from the Bible. They may have even taught a Bible class or two, thinking that they’re safe from falling into sin. But if they’re not doing what they’ve read, heard, or taught, they are only deceiving themselves; they are not safe, because it is DOING the Word, not just HEARING the Word that keeps a person from despair and disobedience.
Most people are familiar with the Heimlich maneuver – grabbing a choking victim from behind and administering abdominal thrusts to eject a throat obstruction. Since 1974, it has been taught in schools, portrayed in movies, displayed on restaurant posters, and endorsed by medical authorities. Famous celebrities and politicians credit the maneuver with saving their lives at one time or another. In fact, the Heimlich maneuver has been credited with saving more than 100,000 lives since it was first introduced in 1974.
It is named after Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, a thoracic surgeon, who died just this last December (2016) at the age of 96. He invented the maneuver and spent decades teaching the lifesaving technique to all who were willing to learn, but he never used it himself in a real emergency until May 23, 2016, just seven (7) months before he died.
An 87-year-old woman was choking at their senior residence in Cincinnati when Dr. Heimlich performed his maneuver on her for the first time in an emergency. Patty Ris was sitting at Dr. Heimlich’s table when she began choking on a hamburger. She said, “The next thing I know, I could not breathe I was choking so hard.” That’s when Dr. Heimlich did his thing, and “a piece of meat with a little bone flew out of her mouth.” (Robert D. McFaden, “Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, Famous for Antichoking Technique, Dies at 96,” New York Times, 12-17-16; www.PreachingToday.com)
He finally got a chance to practice what he preached all those years.
You see, it’s not enough just to hear, know and talk about God’s Word. You must put it into practice for it to do any good. If you want to pass the tests of life and come out on the other end of your trials a better person, then you must receive the Word. That is, read it and do it with God’s help. Or to put it another way…
REFLECT ON THE WORD.
Look in the mirror of God’s Word. Let the Bible reveal your flaws and then fix what you see.
In verses 21 & 22, James makes His point – Do the Word! In verses 23-25, James illustrates His point. Take a look at it.
James 1:23-24 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man (i.e., a male, as opposed to a female, in the Greek) who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (ESV)
Now, only a MAN would do that. Only a MAN would glance at a mirror, with his hair all messed up and his shirt tail out, and walk away without doing anything about it. A WOMAN, on the other hand, gazes at a mirror, notices a hair out of place, and has to stop and fix it before she moves on. That’s the way God wants every believer to treat His Word.
James 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (ESV)
The blessing of freedom from sin comes from doing the Word. The blessing of real growth in your trials comes from putting God’s Word into practice, not just seeing and forgetting it.
A group of 30-year-old friends got together for a reunion and were discussing where they should go for dinner. Somebody suggested that they meet at the Glowing Embers Restaurant because the wait staff there is young and beautiful. They all agreed.
Fifteen years later, at 45 years of age, they met again and discussed where they should have dinner. Somebody suggested the Glowing Embers because the food there is very good. They all agreed.
Another 15 years later at 60 years of age, they once again discussed where to meet. Somebody suggested the Glowing Embers because you can eat there in peace and quiet and the restaurant is smoke free. They all agreed.
Another fifteen years later, at the age of 75, the group discussed again where they should meet. Somebody suggested that they should meet at the Glowing Embers because the restaurant is handicapped accessible and they even have an elevator. They all agreed.
Finally, 15 years later at the age of 90, the same group of friends discussed one more time where they should meet for dinner. Somebody suggested that they should meet at the Glowing Embers because they had never been there before. And they all agreed. (P. J. Alindogan, “Communicate and Relate,” The Potter's Jar blog, 3-25-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
I can understand people in their 90’s forgetting some things. But there is no excuse for you and I forgetting the basic principles of God’s Word. We who have trusted Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling within, who reminds us and empowers us to live God’s Word.
So don’t look at the Word and forget what you see. Instead, look at the word and fix what needs fixing. Depend on God’s Spirit to make things right. Rely on God’s Spirit to correct what needs correcting.
It’s the only way to pass the tests of life. It’s the only way to come out on the other end of your trials a better person, more like Christ. Receive the Word – do it! Reflect on the Word – fix it!
Now, let’s get very practical as James does here in the next two verses. Specifically, if you’re going to do God’s Word, you must…
PRACTICE TRUE RELIGION.
Serve the Lord sincerely. Truly worship the Lord.
James 1:26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (ESV)
If you want to be truly religious, control your words. Bridle your tongue. Don’t say you’re doing the Word if you don’t control the words that come out of your mouth. Don’t say that you’re religious if you’re reckless with your tongue.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout the Untied States on the powerful, often negative impact of words. He asks his audiences to put up their hands if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, another person. Invariably, only a few people put up their hands. Others laugh, and quite a few call out, “No!”
Telushkin responds: “[If you can’t answer] ‘yes’, [you] must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you can't go 24 hours without drinking liquor, you're addicted to alcohol. If you can't go 24 hours without smoking, you're addicted to nicotine. So if you can't go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you've lost control over your tongue.” (Mark Mitchell, “The Life-Giving Tongue,” Qoheleth blog, 11-15-13; www.PreachingToday.com)
Ouch! That’s too convicting, but he’s absolutely right. Can you go 24 hours without saying anything unkind about (or to) another person? If not, then recognize you have a problem and ask God to help you do His Word by controlling your words.
Bridgestone Tires ran one of the best commercials during the 2011 Super Bowl, which illustrates this problem that many have. Take a look… (show Bridgestone Reply All video)
Two men are working at their computers in an office cubicle. One sends an email to the other that triggers a smile—followed suddenly by alarm. “Rod, you sent this email ‘Reply all.’ You hit ‘Reply all!’”
Rod panics and sprints down the hallway. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he runs through a meeting room grabbing laptop computers away from those seated at the table. He dashes between offices carrying away desktop computers, still screaming. He reaches through a window into a home office and takes the laptop from a woman typing at a desk, still screaming. He leaps up the stairs leading to an office building knocking cell phones from people's hands.
On he goes, screaming like a man who has lost everything, attacking the computers and hand-held devices of a man walking in a parking garage, another man eating in a restaurant, a man hiking in a forest, a man sitting on a park bench. Finally, climactically, Rod rips a bundle of wires out of the wall of a computer electronics room, sending out a shower of sparks.
Oh, the trouble your words can cause, whether they come out of your mouth or through your computer. To do God’s Word specifically means to control your words.
2nd, to do God’s Word specifically means care for the widows. Look after the disenfranchised. Visit those who cannot return the favor.
James 1:27a Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit widows and orphans in their affliction. (ESV)
That’s interesting. Growing through your own affliction comes when you connect with others in their affliction. Throughout the Bible, you see God’s concern for the widows and orphans. They have a special place in His heart, so it makes sense that He wants His people to care for them, as well. It’s what true devotion to the Lord is all about.
Wayne Cordeiro, in his book Jesus: Pure and Simple, talks about Doug Nicols, who was doing missions work in India in 1967 when he contracted tuberculosis. As a result, he was committed to a sanitarium for several months, where Doug found himself in a lonely, confusing, and troubled place. He did not know the language of the other patients, but he wanted to share the Good News of Jesus with them.
All Doug had in the sanitarium were a few gospel tracts in their language, Parsee. He tried to pass them out, but nobody wanted them. Then one night, Doug woke up at 2:00 AM, coughing so violently that he could not catch his breath. During this coughing fit, Doug noticed a little old emaciated man across the aisle trying to get out of bed. He was so weak he could not stand up. He began to whimper. He tried again, but to no avail.
In the morning Doug realized that the man had been trying to get up to use the bathroom. The stench in the ward was terrible. The other patients were angry at the old man for not being able to contain himself. The nurse cleaned up the mess and then slapped the man.
The next night, again Doug saw the old man trying to get out of bed, but this time Doug got out of bed, iced up the old man, and carried him to the toilet (just a hole in the floor) and then brought him back to his bed. The old man kissed Doug on the cheek and promptly went to sleep.
Early the next morning, Doug awoke to a steaming cup of tea beside his bed. Another patient had kindly made it for him. The patient motioned that he wanted one of those gospel tracts. The next two days, one after another patient asked, “Could I have one of those tracts too?” (Wayne Cordeiro, Jesus: Pure and Simple, Bethany House, 2012, pp. 59-60; www.PreachingToday.com)
In his affliction, Doug cared for others in their affliction, and it had a profound impact! People began to see that his religion was real, and they wanted it too! Do people know that your religion is real? Think of the impact you could have if you just put God’s Word into practice like Doug did!
To do God’s Word means 1st of all, control your words, 2nd, care for the widows.
And 3rd, it means stay clean from the world. Remain pure from the defilements of our culture.
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV)
You can only make a difference IN the world if you’re different THAN the world around you.
In his book Glorious Mess, Mike Howerton talks about the time he and his friends played “mud football” after a huge downpour. He and his neighborhood buddies discovered a gully filled with two inches of standing water, and they had a blast playing football in the mud.
Every tackle would send them sliding for yards and yards. The ball was like a greased pig, which meant tons of fumbles and gang tackles and laughter.
Howerton says he remembers tackling Craig, one of [his friends], and watching him skim across the surface of the water for something like four miles. Howerton thought, “I might be in heaven” but when his friend got up, Howerton noticed something stuck on his shoulder. He peered closer, wondering, “What is that?”
Now, there was a huge, concrete sewage runoff drain right next to the gully, and during the heavy rains, all sorts of things got backed up. Howerton and his friends didn’t pay much attention to the stuff floating in the gully until he noticed something on Craig's shoulder. He looked closer and suddenly realized it was a soaking piece of toilet paper. In that same instant, Howerton realized the smell surrounding him was a bit more pungent than a typical mud football game ought to smell. So he yelled out, “We're playing in POOP WATER!” and they all bolted for home as fast as they could. (Mike Howerton, Glorious Mess, Baker, 2012, pp. 101-102; www.PreachingToday.com)
Too many of God’s people are playing in this world’s sewage. They’re pursuing happiness instead of holiness. They’re seeking to build their own kingdom rather than God’s Kingdom. They’re stained with selfish ambition instead of selfless service. Oh, they think they’re having fun, but they don’t realize they’re rolling around in sewage.
If that describes some of you, then it’s time to run home to the Lord and let Him clean you up. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Don’t try to clean yourself up. Just confess your dirt to the Lord, and let Him clean you up. Then live your life in dependence upon Him going forward.
That’s what true religion and doing the Word is all about! In dependence upon Christ, control your words; care for the widows; and stay clean from the world.
Do you want to pass the tests of life and come out on the other side of your trials a better person, more like Christ? Then with God’s help: Receive the Word – do it! Reflect on the Word – fix it! And practice true religion – live it!
I like the way Bill Hybels put it in an article for Christianity Today several years ago: He said, “Faith, if we are honest, sometimes seems like a candle in the rain, hissing for air... Right in the middle of our prayers; the baby cries, the thunder claps, the fury breaks... [But] the power of God comes to those who obey.” (Bill Hybels, “Descending into Greatness”, Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 10, September 13, 1993; www.PreachingToday.com)
May the mind of Christ, my Savior
Live in me from day to day;
By his love and power controlling
All I do and say. (Kate Barclay Wilkinson)
