James 1:21-27; 2:14-26
“Extreme Makeover: What Looks Good to Jesus? Dirty Hands”
“Become those who put the word into practice.”
Sunday Morning Sermon
11.14.04
Intro: (Start with Sermon Text)
There was once a pastor who had a little five-year-old daughter. Now the little girl noticed that every time her dad stood behind the pulpit, and was getting ready to preach, he would bow his head for moment before he began to preach. The little girl noticed that he did this every time.
So one day after the service the little girl went to her dad and asked him, “Why do you bow your head right before you preach your sermon?”
“Well Honey” the dad answered, “I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” The little girl looked up at her father and asked, “Then how come he doesn’t do it?”
The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin. A.W. Tozer.
Discussion:
What looks good to Jesus? A nice new suit – freshly pressed. A silk tie to match, tied with a double Windsor – not the regular knot. What looks good to Jesus? Praying, but instead of speaking honestly (people aren’t impressed with honesty) you use many words and start chanting – it shows everybody how religious you are. What looks good to Jesus? Sunday School pins – they look real nice on felt – you can hang them from the very top of your suit coat – make sure everyone can see them. What looks good to Jesus? A big building – we can build something that is more modern, more comfortable, something to host all our programs in. What looks good to Jesus? Church attendance – You come every Sunday, warm the pew, give God your one hour every Sunday. That sounds good. Last week – same sermon title – the answer was Big Ears. Jesus is pleased when his people listen to each other and take the time to listen to him. I’ve already preached that sermon, and hopefully you were listening. This morning our focus changes from our hearing to doing. What looks good to Jesus – “Dirty Hands”.
Turn with me to James 1:21-27 & James 2:14-26 (Advance) (read)
If God wants you to have dirty hands, hands that are busy doing his work. Not Just hands but hearts as well. How do you do this? The easy answer is you just jump right in, with both feet and get busy, and there is a place for that. But long term allow me to give you three ways to have dirty hands for Jesus.
(Advance)
I. Take off your filth!
Let me re-read -(Advance) James 1:21 – 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.
a. “Get rid of” – Lit. means – “Strip off as a garment”
I am the first person to say – allow scripture to be what it is. We don’t need to change the word of God to mean something it doesn’t or say something it doesn’t. However, I am open to growing in my understanding of God’s word – I don’t know everything – I know that’s shocking, but I don’t. James is speaking about
b. Baptism
When we baptize someone we make them go to the back (usually that side – point to the right) and I will go to the other side. We put on these white robes and get into the water,– While the church finishes singing: I make a joke to the person in the water with me, I tell them that if I kill them by holding them under too long, they instantly go to heaven. The church usually is done singing by that point, I dunk them under, they rise up, the church sings again – and they get dressed – into the same clothes.
What would happen in the time of James is they would be presented with new clothes to put on. They would be offered new clothes to wear as a symbol of a new life.
James is clearly speaking to the baptized when he says get rid of all moral filth – it’s a reminder of their baptism. The author of Hebrews says: (Advance)
Hebrews 12:1 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
c. Way to holiness
i. Get rid of the moral filth
1. You must first identify your personal sin
a. Through prayer
b. Serious Bible reading
c. Deep searching your heart
2. Repent – ask forgiveness – from God, from people
Sometimes it’s done in front of the church – but it doesn’t have to be. You do have to let someone know – not so they can judge you, but so that you can be accountable.
3. Ask God for Strength – he is delighted in your victories.
4. Physically remove whatever it is
a. Late night Cable
b. Budweiser in the house
c. Magazines – that you shouldn’t look at
d. Gossip – remove yourself from where you know it will happen.
5. Accept God’s word
a. With humility – KJV – Meekness; Lit. means: Gentleness of spirit.
Before you can be the person God wants you to be, before your religion can be something serious to you – you must take the weights off. I am convinced that before you can take God’s word for everything its worth you must accept your complete dependence on his saving grace. It’s not about your strength – it’s about God’s grace, and his complete, undivided love for you.
d. The word planted in you – the word accepted by you – the word listened to and understood by you
i. Leads to salvation – not only for you, but your new life will shine and those around you will want what you have.
Wouldn’t you rather have eternal life with Jesus Christ, forever – than to hang on to your sin? Hearing the word is good – but if you are going to have dirty hands – you must
e. Do what it says
i. Be a doer of the word
1. Get the gloves on
2. Pick the shovel up
3. Help wherever its needed
4. Teach a Sunday School Class
5. Be a leader in this church
6. Identify those who are far off from where they should be, and encourage them, pray for them, and spend time with them – to bring them in.
The number one grower of the church – relationships. You want the church to grow – work at building relationships. You want those who don’t come, but aren’t going anywhere else – build a relationship. When you ask them to church – they will come. James says:
f. The man Who looks into the law (God’s Will)
i. That makes him free
ii. And continues in it
iii. Without walking away and forgetting
The outcome is blessing. At any point in time when you know you are doing God’s will and you have surrendered your own – the outcome is blessing. I’m not suggesting there won’t be a cross that you have to bear, or the burdens are lifted, or troubles are instantly taken away – I am telling you that if you follow God’s complete and undivided will in your life – you will be blessed. The conclusion of a perfectly followed law (or God’s will) is perfection.
So you take off or remove the old and embrace the new.
g. Religion that means something
i. Keeping your tongue in check
1. You don’t like
2. Say what you mean – mean what you say
3. Speak the truth – but do it in love
h. Religion that means something to God = is a relationship with God
i. It’s pure and faultless
1. If you take care of those in need
2. If you look after those who can’t take care of themselves
This is so much deeper than just James listen to these scriptures: (Advance)
Isaiah 1:17 – learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
(Advance)
Psalm 68:5 – A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
A relationship with God – that is pure and faultless means that you keep yourself from being polluted by the world. Taking off the filth
i. Is a lifestyle
i. It takes and effort
Something else that will give us dirty hand – (Advance)
II. Don’t forget what you have heard
a. Don’t put it off for another day
i. Don’t delay your actions – or your love
b. You have heard the word preached
i. Some of you have heard more sermons than I will ever preach
ii. You’ve heard good sermons
iii. Probably a few bad ones
iv. Some that were long
v. Some that were short
vi. Some that could have been shorter
Regardless – you have heard the word of God preached! Don’t forget what you have heard. A person who hears the word preached, but does not take it in (I think this is over a time period). Is like: A person who looks at himself in a mirror – sees his face, and then as he is walking away he forgets what he looks like.
Ralph Martin in his commentary says this:
“What is seen in the mirror is meant to lead to action. The face is seen to be dirty or blemished and needing attention. Instead the thoughtless person goes off and forgets what he has seen.” (Advance)
Proverbs 4:5 – Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
How do you forget the word?
vii. Find a distraction –
1. Go get yourself busy in the kitchen while we are having worship
2. Go and work on something else – while we are having worship
3. Pretend that you are working on ministry – when in reality it’s just busyness to avoid hearing the word.
viii. Pretend it doesn’t apply to you
I don’t ever point people out in my sermons. If I wanted to – I suppose I could go down the list of church members, figure out your sins, preach against them, call you out by name – give you a chance to repent and if you don’t I could start over again. One Sunday I could do Dallas, the next Ora Dean, the next Doris – I’d spend 2 weeks on Myron. I have a better suggestion --
ix. Assume that the word preached applies directly to you
1. It applies to you
God’s word is alive and active – it applies to you where you are in your life. It should mean something right now in your present situation. Don’t forget the word!
Taking off your filth – Remembering the word preached the third
(Advance)
III. Show your Faith
a. Faith without deeds
i. Is dead – useless worthless, without life
Let me illustrate what I mean:
For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved 16and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup--where does that get you? 17Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
b. Offer of peace
c. Offer of warmth
i. You don’t give it to them
You have the ability to give it to them – you have the ability to provide for them, to meet their needs – but you don’t. When you take a hands off approach with the needs of people – it changes your approach to God. Isaiah said something about this: (Advance)
Isaiah 29:13 – The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.
d. It’s a heart issue
i. Where is your heart? (Advance)
Matthew 6:21 – for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
e. Faith and Action
i. Tied together –
ii. You can’t take one without the other – long term.
iii. If you have faith – you must have action.
1. If you claim to have faith but have no action, you need to double check your faith.
2. Saving faith – requires action
3. Saving faith – means that you stand up for what is right
4. Saving faith – means that you get involved.
5. Saving faith – means you actively do whatever it is, God has given you to do.
Conclusion:
Some of you know this about Amanda and I – we like to shop. We’ve never found a mall we didn’t like. Really the love of shopping comes from the desire to not pay full price for what we have. I hate paying full price – when I know I can get it cheaper. About a month or so ago we were in St. Louis and of course we went to a mall. I walk into a circuit city (an electronics store) and looked around. Again, I’m always looking for a bargain. I found the video game section – nothing unusual. I started looking at the prices and they were incredibly low. Sixty dollar games – just released were priced $20. The normal cheap games were $5 – I grab two or three and go to the register. The cashier looked confused. He was looking at the bargains I found, and knew something wasn’t right. Someone had stolen one of the price tag guns and changed the prices on all the video games. Someone switched the value of the games.
I wonder sometimes if we haven’t switched the things that God says is valuable. God looks at each of us – and I think he wants to see our hands. Not to see if we are busy with mindless action, but to see if what we claim with our lips has any substance. I am positive that God would rather you try your hardest at something and fail, than to stay where you are, because the pew is warmer.
We are going to offer an invitation this morning – maybe your hands are too clean, maybe you haven’t been busy – you’re too old, you’re too young, you’re too busy, with this or that. Excuses are a dime a dozen – I hear them every Monday. Reasons are few. This morning we are going to pray before we give the invitation – Do something for me – Ask God to search your heart. Perhaps you have never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, you have never been buried with him in Baptism and raised into newness of life. If that’s you, don’t put it off. Maybe you are here this morning and you did give your life to Christ at one point, you made the commitment, at one time in your life – things got in the way, people got in your way, sin got in your way of following Christ unashamed. Our God is a God of second chances – he loves you and freely forgives. Let’s have a word of prayer – Come this morning as we stand and sing.
