EXTREME MAKEOVER – Part Four
“A Faith Lift”
James 1:19-27 - ©Dr. Larry L. Thompson (2004)
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, [20] for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. [21] Therefore, 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. [22] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his 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 1:19-27
Introduction:
In today’s study James presents a third extreme makeover necessary for every true believer. I call this makeover, “A FAITH LIFT” Let’s review the extreme makeovers to date:
• The first makeover was the Christian’s RESPONSE TO TRIALS (1:2–12).
• The second makeover was the Christian’s RESPONSE TO TEMPTATION (1:13–18).
• Today’s makeover is the Christian’s RESPONSE TO THE TRUTH revealed in the Word of God (1:19–27).
Today we live in a society that is marked by duplicity and inconsistency among those who proclaim the name of Christ. There is a great divide between what we say we believe and what we do with the truth.
When the true disciple hears God’s Word, there should be affection for the truth and a personal desire in his heart to obey the truth he has received. One of the most reliable evidences of genuine salvation is a true hunger for the Word of God. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1
FITZ: EXTREME EXAMPLE: Cue: “Today’s extreme example demonstrates the danger of duplicity and the powerful destructive nature of the tongue.”
In today’s text, James focuses on two major tests that reveal a need for “A FAITH LIFT!”
• Our Faith is not Marked by a Proper RECEPTION of the Word! (1:19–21)
• Our Life is not Marked by a Proper REACTION to the Word! (1:22-27)
Illustration: Dr. Phil’s assessment of the American male:
“Men in America change wives every seven years, change cars every three years and change friends every three hours.” Dr. Phil. While this is a bit trait I would say the real problem in America is not how much we change but how little we change, especially as Christians! Think for a moment how much truth has been proclaimed through this ministry in the past 97 years we have been in existence. I promise you the men of God who have proudly proclaimed God’s truth from this pulpit have shared enough truth to impact not only South Florida, but our entire state, nation and world. The problem is not that we don’t have enough TRUTH; we don’t have a heart to RECEIVE the truth we have!
Listen to me this hour: “The greatest threat to America is not communism, socialism, humanism or even terrorism; the greatest threat to our nation is the tragic discrepancy between what Christians proclaim and what they practice.” Pastor Larry Thompson
We live in a culture where Christians want the THRILL of feeling right but reject the WILL to live right! A newborn baby does not have to be taught to hunger for its mother’s milk, and the newborn child of God does not have to be taught to hunger for God’s Word, which is his spiritual food and drink. That is the natural impulse of his new spiritual life, of his new creation. I urge you today to join with me in making one promise related to this message… I will not think about any other person but myself as I receive this word of truth today. With this promise committed let’s examine the process for today’s extreme makeover and what it means to have “A FAITH LIFT?”
I. A LIFE THAT RECEIVES THE WORD (1:19-22)
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, [20] for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. [21] Therefore, 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. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
The four general observations related to what it means to “receive the truth of God’s word” include:
1. IMPERATIVE TRUTH: “My dear brothers, take note of this…” Because we have experienced the transforming power of God and have been made new creatures, we are to “TAKE NOTE” and imperative truth that challenges us to continually submit to His Word.
2. FAMILY TRUTH: “My dear brothers…” Here James is not simply trying to convince their minds in a purely intellectual way but he is trying to reach their hearts. His affection for them is equally as strong as his obligation to them. Few things can make a teacher’s work more effective than a genuine love for those being taught. Love can break down barriers; intellectual, cultural as well as spiritual barrier, that no amount of fact and reason has the power to accomplish.
3. PERSONAL TRUTH: “Everyone should be quick to listen…” The way this is written in the Greek is literally saying, “EACH ONE OF YOU…LISTEN!” This is a very personal message and it is one for EACH ONE OF US here today related to how we RECEIVE THE WORD.
4. LOGICAL TRUTH: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, [20] for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. [21] Therefore, 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.” Outside of the possible book of Romans this is the logical and practical book in the entire Bible. Notice the logical and progressive instruction that James gives regarding our willingness to receive the Word of God.
a. “Quick to listen”: James’ first concern is not what we do but who we are. Being comes before doing! God is always far more impressed with who we are rather than what we do. It is IMPOSSIBLE TO BE WHAT GOD DESIRES IF WE HAVE NOT FIRST HEARD THE TRUTH. Jesus rebuked the Religious Leaders when He said, “HAVE YOU NOT HEARD?” What was He really saying? They had obviously heard through all their religious instruction…the problem was they had not listened to what they heard. This is where the word RECEIVE is essential for us to understand. Examine what Jesus said about the parable of the seed and the sower in (page 709 pew bible) Mark 4:16, 20: “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once RECEIVE it with joy.” Mark 4:16. “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, ACCEPT it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:20 In verse 16 the word “receive” is the Greek word, “Lambano” means “to casually acknowledge.” Now look at verse 20 and the word “accept” in King James it is also the word “receive” and yet they are two entirely different words. The word accept in the Greek is the word, “Paradechomai” (par-O-deck-O-my) and this means “to embrace affectionately, to take in, to become a part of…” With this biblical instruction it is easy to see the concern of James. WE HAVE AN ALMOST ENTIRE POPULATION OF CHRISTAINS WHO “LAMBANO” THE WORD OF GOD. We give it a casual acknowledgement and then let it pass us by. We can’t wait till church is over and we blast out of this place actually believing that we are fulfilling our responsibility as Christians. The second aspect of this logical progressive truth include:
b. “Slow to speak”: The old saying is: God gave us two ears and one mouth so we will listen twice as much as we speak. God knew we would learn and receive the word if we were truly listening to the Word. There is a legend that says a young man went to see the great Socrates and proposed, “I will pay you to teach me to become the orator that you are.” The young man then continued to speak endlessly about what he would do with the gift of oration. Finally, Socrates put his hand over the young man’s mouth and said, “I will train you but it will cost you twice as much as you have offered for I must teach you two arts; the art of controlling your tongue and the art of using your tongue.” The third aspect of logical progressive truth is:
c. “Slow to become angry”: Once again notice the logic and practical approach to receiving the word of God. CAN YOU REALLY RECEIVE THE WORD WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY? Absolutely not. James is reminding us that there is a need to prepare our hearts before we are ready to receive the Word. Two weeks ago Cynthia prepared a birthday dinner for me with all of my favorite dishes and it was wonderful and I assure you I received it and it became a part of me. However, the dinner didn’t JUST HAPPEN. She prepared, worked and served and then had the joy of seeing what she had shared, received and witnessed the joy of our reception of her gift. SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS NOT JUST GOING TO HOCUS POCUS APPEAR IN YOUR LIFE. YOU MUST PREPARE TO RECEIVE GOD’S WORD! The fourth logical progressive step to receiving truth is…
d. “Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…” James instructs us to do two things in preparing to receive the word; “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…” Filth “Rhuparia” (hoop-a-ree-ah) in the Greek is a word that means the same as wax in our ear that becomes so impacted that it is impossible to hear. Moral filth makes it impossible to HEAR THE WORD OF GOD. Secondly, “the evil that is so prevalent…” represents all that remains, that which is “underneath or hidden.” It is impossible to get to the evil until you deal with the filth. Once you deal with the filth then you put yourself in a position to hear the word and the Spirit can deal with the evil. Final logical progressive step to receiving the word is…
e. “Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Once again we are dealing with two imperatives that lead to a believer “receiving the word of God.” The two areas that are essential in humbly accepting the word include:
i. Our Attitude: “Humbly accept” – The word humble is the Greek word “Prau`tes” (pro-ou-tace) and it means with meekness, a gentle and teachable spirit. IS THAT THE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR HEART IN THIS HOUR? Did you sit down with a humble and teachable spirit and say, “Father, my heart is open to receive your word?” Your attitude makes all the difference in how you receive and grow in God’s grace. Through the years I have little patience with these “Pseudo Christians who proudly proclaim how spiritually deep they are…you know who I’m talking about…the members of the “Church of Spiritual Façade” who say, “Well I need to go to a church where I can be fed.” Can you imagine the audacity of that statement? First, they proclaim their deep mature Christian roots…however…The last time I looked up the evidence of maturity it revealed the baby was growing when they were learning to take the food themselves instead of being bottle fed by another. There is no humility in that statement. There is ungodly arrogance and God will deal with that type of spirit in a TRUE CHRISTIAN. The truly humble heart of the Christian approaches their time to receive the word, whether in small group of in corporate worship with the attitude that says, “I have anticipated this meal all day, bring it on, I’m starving and can’t wait to take in what it served to me in this day.” The reason the “Deep Pseudo Christians who are members of the Church of Spiritual Façade” are they way they are is because they are malnourished in the word. They are picky eaters… “I only eat spiritual food that is prepared by this teacher or that pastor…” They smell their food like children and then turn up their nose if it doesn’t meet their expectations. How very childish. We do not have time for such games in the Body of Christ.
ii. Our Action: (1:22) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” As important as it is to have the proper reception of the Word of God, without a heart and life that is willing to obey its truths it is not only without benefit but the Word reminds us that this action of indifference becomes a further judgment against us. It is essential to hear the Word with an attitude of humility, but even that is not enough. Acting in Obedience to the Word is the most basic spiritual requirement and is the common denominator for all true believers. The bottom line of true spiritual life is not a momentary feeling of compliance or commitment but our long-term obedience to the revealed and received scripture.
II. A LIFE THAT RESPONDS TO THE WORD (1:23-27)
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his 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 makes it clear that any response to the gospel that does not include obedience is self-deception. If a profession of faith in Christ does not result in a changed life that hungers and thirsts for God’s Word and desires to obey that Word, means the individual may have professed but they certainly do not possess the Spirit of Christ. Satan loves such professions, because they give church members the damning notion that they have eternal security when they do not. They still belong to him, not to God. For this reason Paul reminds the Romans, “Examine yourself to see if you be in the faith.”
1. THE RESPONSIVE HEART IS A REFLECTIVE HEART (1:23-24)
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
In New Testament times, mirrors were typically made of highly polished brass or bronze, although a wealthy person could buy one of silver or gold. But even the most expensive mirrors were primitive compared to glass ones, which were not developed until the fourteenth century. Consequently, those early mirrors gave a dim and distorted reflection of the person using them. However, by carefully turning the mirror and finding the best light, a person could eventually see a fairly accurate image of his face, and that is the idea James has in mind. By careful and patient observation he could eventually discover what he actually looked like. But, for whatever reason, when he stops looking at himself and goes away, he immediately forgets what he has just seen. It is that forgetfulness which is the point of the analogy. Whether because of distraction, not being pleased with what was seen, or simply because of a poor memory, all the careful looking suddenly becomes wasted. Whatever the original purpose was for looking at oneself, what is seen is quickly forgotten. The maturing Christian is responsive to the reflection that is revealed when they hear the word of God.
Think about this morning when you started getting ready for Church. HOW MANY OF YOU LOOKED IN A MIRROR SOMETIME DURING YOUR PREPARATION? HOW MANY OF YOU CAN SAY HONESTLY THAT YOUR LOOKS CHANGED FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU LOOKED INTO THE MIRROR FROM WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE NOW? Now are you beginning to see the need for a responsive heart? Does it make sense that you would change the way you looked from the outside to come to the Lord’s house for worship but when the Spirit of God holds the mirror that reveals your internal life you take a quick look and walk away saying, “I can go like this and be fine.” THIS BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD AND IT HANGS BEFORE US TODAY AS HIS MIRROR TO OUR SOUL REVEALING IF WE HAVE RECEIVED AND RESPONDED TO THE REFLECTION THAT WE SEE AND HEAR!
2. THE RESPONSIVE HEART IS A RIGHTEOUS HEART (1:25-27)
“But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his 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.”
The righteous heart that has received the word of God and is responding to the word of God is evidenced by two actions that James articulates in these verses.
a. NO AMBIGUITY BETWEEN GOD’S TRUTH AND OUR TONGUE (1:26)
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
“Religious” is the Greek word threôskos, (thrace-kos) and refers to external religious rituals, liturgies, routines, and ceremonies. The famous Jewish historian Josephus used the word to describe what he witnessed from the outside looking in on worship in the temple at Jerusalem. Paul used the noun form of this term when speaking of his former life as a zealous Pharisee (Acts 26:5). By contrast, the word most commonly used in the New Testament for genuine, God-honoring and God-pleasing worship is eusebeia,(U-see-bia) whose basic meaning is that of godliness and holiness that comes from the inside out.
Such things as attending church services and activities, doing volunteer work, following various rituals and ceremonies, saying prayers, and even having right theology have no spiritual value in themselves apart from true saving faith and honorable motives to glorify the Lord. James reveals that the person who trusts in those outward things sooner or later will expose his faithlessness with his mouth, because he does not have the inner power of God’s Spirit to keep a tight rein on his tongue. Trusting in those things to please God and receive His blessing is deceptive and worthless. A corrupt and unholy heart eventually will ultimately be exposed by corrupt and unholy speech. The tongue is not the only indicator of true spirituality but it is one of the most reliable.
b. NO AMBIGUITY BETWEEN GOD’S WORD AND OUR WORK (1:27)
“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.”
The second proper response to the Word of God is the willingness of the Christian to apply the Word to one’s life in a way that is reflected in our work; work without selfishness, with genuine concern for the welfare of others, especially those in great need.
Examine closely the phrase “look after” for in the Greek it is, “Episkeptomai” (epp-E-skep-toe-my) and means much more than to simply drop by for a little visit. This phrase carries the idea, “to inspect, to select for the purpose of becoming an extension; to go to see, to relieve.” Caring for others, exercising oversight on their behalf, and of helping them in whatever way is needed. It is from the same root as episkopos, which means “overseer” and is sometimes translated “bishop or minister.”
Generally, the neediest people in the early church were orphans and widows. There were no life insurance or welfare programs to support them. Jobs for either group were scarce, and if they had no close relatives, they were desperate. But the principle applies to anyone in need. The reason this is applicable to more than just orphans and widows is because people without parents and husbands are unable to reciprocate in any way, therefore, anything and everything we do for them and caring for them reveals true sacrificial and unconditional love.
The reality of anyone’s personal faith in Jesus Christ is not determined by his or her own qualifications or standards, but by God’s word. The greatest spiritual mistake of the scribes, Pharisees, and other Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus was in that very regard. They had replaced God’s standards in the Law with their own man-made traditions. Jesus rebuked them when He said, “…Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. [7] You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: [8] ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:6-8) (NIV)
CONCLUSION:
James now closes chapter one by reminding us that true Christianity is manifested from a pure and loving heart and is authenticated by the way believers talk and by the way they act. It is further manifested by how they love and care for those who are in need, not by how they love and care for those they prefer, those who are close to them, or those with whom they share common traits and interests. Love is to be the central and most visible manifestation of salvation. John makes clear, love for God cannot be separated from love for others, especially for fellow believers and most especially for those who are in need. The professed Christian who does not show such compassion has reason to doubt that he is truly born again and living in a personal and secure relationship with Jesus Christ. A truly redeemed heart reaches out to others and…If you hold the word up to your life today and use it as a mirror to see your heart you may just determine it is time for an extreme makeover…and it begins with “A FAITH LIFT!”
