Be a True Friend!
Squid Game Part 3
James 1:22-27
Steve Meenho Kang
www.evergreencommunity.org
We are in part three of this series, “Squid Game.”
The Netflix drama “Squid Game” became the number one show on Netflix in all 83 countries where Netflix streams.
But why is this drama so popular all over the world?
One of the reasons is that it reflects the sentiments of the present age.
Especially, because of the COVID-19 crisis, people all over the world are experiencing many difficulties.
So many people live in competition with others to survive.
As a result, they are living lonely lives.
Many people feel that they do not have real friends that they can trust.
They view others as people that they are competing against.
This is why more and more people feel lonely nowadays.
They feel that they are all alone in this world.
A recent statistic tells us that the number of single-person households in the US in 2020 was 36.2%.
And in the U.S., 27% of adults ages 60 and older live alone.
No wonder why so many people feel lonely.
This drama reflects the lonely life that many people live nowadays.
Therefore, in this world where many people feel so lonely, how should we live as disciples of Jesus?
If James, the brother of Jesus, saw “Squid Game,” what would he tell us?
What would he tell us to do among people who feel lonely and all alone?
I. We must not just hear the Word of God (vv. 22-24).
Verse 22 says this.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James said that if Christians hear God’s Word and do not do it, they are deceiving themselves.
But how do Christians deceive themselves?
This happens in church every Sunday.
People deceive themselves this way:
“Because I came to worship God today, God will bless me.”
But James says, “To think this way is to deceive yourself.”
If we think like this way, we are thinking that something has value when in reality it has no value at all.
But people who are outside of the church see this truth right away.
They see Christians talking, acting, and thinking just like people who do not know God.
They see how Christians act and call them hypocrites.
And James said that they are right.
James said that what we hear is of no use unless we apply it.
It is good to hear the Word of God.
It is good to believe it.
But the most important thing is application.
Only when we apply what we hear, that can change our lives.
James gave a very good example to illustrate this fact.
Verses 23-24 say this.
23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Those who do not do what they hear are like those who look in a mirror and see dirt on their face, but go out without wiping it.
If we are not going to wipe dirt from our face, there is no point in looking in the mirror.
After we look in the mirror, we would wipe off any dirt that is on our face.
People who come to church and listen to sermons and do not practice them are like this.
They wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “Wow!”
Yet they do nothing.
They just turn around, get dressed, go out, and spend the whole day without wiping the dirt.
God’s Word is like a mirror.
When we hear the word of God, we say, “Wow!”
“Wow! I have to do this!”
“Wow! I cannot do this!”
“Wow! I must love this person!”
“Wow! I must break this habit!”
“Wow! I need to spend more time with my family!”
But if we do not do what God has shown us, it is of no use.
We work so hard to fix our physical appearance, but we do not work hard enough to fix our lives.
But fixing our lives is far more important than fixing our physical appearance.
We do our makeup and take good care of our hair.
But they have very little to do with the direction and quality of our lives.
But what the Bible says about managing our finances, our personality, our relationships, our marriage, our family, and our sins has a huge impact on our lives.
Therefore, when God lets us see the things we need to change, we must fix them right away.
What matters most is not what we hear, what we know, or what we believe.
What is most important is what we apply.
It is of no use if we do not apply God’s Word.
In “Squid Game,” there is a person who claims to be a Christian.
He prays in front of people many times.
He also tells other people of Bible verses that he knows.
But he does not apply any of what he knows.
He knows what the Bible said, but he does not live according to what it says.
This is how many Christians live these days.
We must not just listen to the Word of God.
II. We must experience God’s blessing by applying what we know (v. 25).
Verse 25 says this.
25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
James told us to look closely at the Word of God because God’s perfect law can set us free.
When many people think of God’s law, they see it as something that says, “Do this!” or “Don’t do that!”
They see God’s law as something that is restrictive.
They do not see God’s law as something that will set them free.
But why does James say that God’s laws can set us free?
I have been tithing ever since I came to know Jesus.
It was not much of a problem at first.
When I made $200 a week, I donated $20 with no problem.
But when I started to make more money, 10% felt like a lot.
It felt like it was interfering with the way I wanted to spend my money.
However, even though it was difficult, I obeyed the Word of God, and I continued to tithe.
I believe that because of my obedience, I am experiencing God’s blessing financially and living with financial freedom.
When someone decides to do whatever he wants with his money, that will bring financial restraint.
The Bible also tells us to forgive those who have harmed us.
But if we are the ones doing the forgiving, it does not feel free.
Having the freedom to retaliate feels free.
But those of us who are slaves to anger will know.
We are not free when we are full of anger.
We cannot sleep.
Our blood pressures go up.
And we cannot think of anything else but thoughts of revenge.
There is no freedom in anger.
But there is freedom in forgiveness.
We can taste freedom only when we apply the words of God.
Obeying what God said does not seem like freedom at first.
However, if we practice God’s Word, we will experience freedom.
The most important thing is not listening the Word.
It is not just knowing.
It is not just believing.
The most important thing is application.
This is the problem with Christians nowadays.
If we do not do what we know, we ourselves will not experience the blessings of God.
And we cannot bless others around us.
This is why Christians lost influence and credibility in the world.
Some Christians do not keep the most basic command of God to love our neighbors as ourselves.
There is a woman in “Squid Game” who has a hatred for Christians.
In the beginning, she does not say why she hates Christians.
But later she shares that her father is a pastor and he sexually assaulted her.
That is why she detests hypocritical Christians, she says.
I heard someone says this.
“Media is so biased against Christians. What pastor would do such a thing? These days, the media tries to paint a negative picture of Christians in nonsensical ways.”
However, several years ago, I heard the news of a pastor who was arrested for sexually assaulting his daughter.
If even one professed Christian commits a sin like this, people outside the church will get a negative impression of Christianity.
And we cannot really blame them.
We must live radically different lives than people who do not know God.
We must practice what we know from the Bible.
Then we will be blessed by the freedom that comes by obeying God’s Word.
We must experience God’s blessing by applying what we know.
III. We must share blessings with others (vv. 26-27).
Verses 26-27 say this.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James pointed out three specific areas where truth should be put into practice.
The first is speech.
James introduces a hypothetical case.
A person considered himself religious because he performed the external acts of religion, such as public worship, fasting, or giving to the needy.
But he does not show restraint in his speech.
His uncontrolled tongue reveals that “his religion is worthless.” Such a person thinks that he is religious.
But in reality, he deceived himself.
The second is the care of “orphans and widows.”
This is faith expressing itself through love.
When someone does not take care of people who are in need, that is a sign that the person does not have true faith in God.
The third is to avoid “being polluted by the world.”
Here, “world” describes the world that is in opposition to God.
The person with real faith will avoid sins and not become polluted by the sins of this world.
The kind of “religion that God our Father accepts” is the kind that exerts a positive influence in the world.
James insisted that true religion is a life-changing force.
Therefore, our religion should be more than internal.
Our inner spirituality must be expressed in our actions in love to others and holiness before God.
In “Squid Game,” all parties in the drama are only looking after their own interests.
The organizers of the game are not giving away their wealth to the less fortunate.
They are using their money for their own entertainment.
They enjoy watching others destroy each other for money.
The participants in the game compete to claim the prize money as the final winner.
Nowadays, everyone is looking out for their own interest.
People are living for themselves.
This is why they feel that they are all alone.
They feel so lonely.
This is the world that we live in.
But those of us who believe in Jesus should not live like this.
We must share blessings with others.
Conclusion
During this week, as we look in the mirror every morning, meditate on these words.
“Are there things to fix in my life according to the Word of God?”
Please ask yourself this question.
If you repeat this question every day and change the things you need to change, amazing changes will happen in your life.
You will experience the blessings that God has promised.
And you will be able to share the blessings of God with others around you.
Many Christians do not live a life as the light and the salt of the world.
Why?
It is not because we do not know the Word of God.
It is not because we do not believe the Word of God.
Rather, it is because we do not apply the Word of God.
We need to change this.
In “Squid Game,” there is an interesting Korean word.
That is the word “Kanbu.”
“Kanbu” means “a close friend, a partner on the same side”.
A participant of the game explains that “kanbu” is “someone who shares everything no matter what.”
However, while playing the marble game, they deceive their opponents who they called “kanbu.”
A person deceives his friend to win the game.
Another person defrauds a foreign worker who calls him as his older brother.
This is the world where we live.
This is the world that worships money, wins at the expense of their neighbors, and betrays friends.
Most people nowadays do not have a real friend.
Many are suffering from loneliness.
They sleep, eat, and play games on a computer all by themselves.
The Bible tells us that Jesus came to be our friend.
To accomplish this, Jesus was born into the world 2000 years ago in a human body.
He lived a perfect life for 33 years.
And he died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
By doing this, He became our true friend.
Therefore, we, who have Jesus as our friend, should be friends with others who live without Jesus.
In doing so, we must tell others about Jesus.
But this cannot be done through words alone.
We must show Jesus to others through our actions.
In the name of Jesus, I pray that we will be able to tell others about Jesus by practicing what we know.
