The Blessing of the Doer - The Letter of James - James 1:25-27
Outline:
1. Discipleship to Jesus is all about action.
2. The action of obedience is motivated by freedom and blessing.
3. True godliness is seen in what we say and who we serve.
Scripture References:
• James 1:22-27
• 1 John 5:2-4
Application:
• Is your faith marked by a genuine desire to walk in God's ways?
• What is the freedom that you are striving after?
• What is the image of blessing and joy that captivates your heart?
• Does your faith in Jesus move you to want to walk, talk and love like Jesus loved?
Discussion questions:
• What does it mean to live a discipleship that is oriented around our actions? How is this different from legalism?
• What are some ways we are tempted in our lives to be dishonest with God and with ourselves about our selves?
• Why do some people become humbled and godly in life and some people grow bitter and isolated in their sins?
• What new actions must we take in our spiritual lives to work for real change?
• How does your understanding of the gospel of Jesus function as the only fuel and motivation to a life of action?
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Read text.
One of the reasons I really love war stories, and stories of people and their heroic actions in the midst of war is because the danger intention of war exposes the true character of people in a unique way.
It is what you do in the midst of pressure, fear, and danger that really shows who you are
People can talk a lot of things, and people can think of themselves many great things, but when the fierceness of battle strikes, all of that goes away. What is left is the rock action that reveals the true character of a person.
One beautiful example of this is a man named Desmond Doss. His story is told in the movie Hacksaw Ridge.
Doss what is a man whose religious convictions prevented him from carrying a gun
But these convictions didn't prevent him from going to war and running into the fiercest Monday dress parts of the battle
Since he couldn't carry a gun he decided he would do everything he can to help save soldiers who have been wounded. During the course of his service in the second world war he repeatedly ran into battle and danger and heavy bullet fire to carry into drag wounded man from danger. By the end of his service he had carried 75 men off the battlefield
His religious convictions put him in a place where he could've easily avoided the most dangerous aspects of war. But he couldn't just sit on the sidelines. There was danger and there was need and he had to DO something about it!
Today as we look at this passage what I hope to communicate to us is that true discipleship to Jesus and a true grasp of the good news of the Gospel is inseparable from a life of action and obedience.
1. Discipleship to Jesus is all about action.
22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.
Last week we looked at this passage from the angle of how it challenges our faith and causes us to see if we are GENUINE believers. It is a test between true and fake christians to look at their actions and their obedience to the truth.
At the same time however, there is an aspect to this passage that is seeking to blow wind in the sails of our daily discipleship to Jesus - our daily life of faith, and encouraging us to embrace with joy a practice of constant action and obedience.
Because of the selfish and sinful tendencies of our hearts, it is very easy for us to fall into a model of Christian life that is minimal on action, while at the same time, maintaining a sense or a look, or a feeling of spirituality.
This is nothing new we see the same pattern and warnings throughout all of scripture
This is true of fake believers and fake religious people, but it is also a constant temptation and challenge for true believers to be a lot more attentive of how they feel, and how they think, rather than what they actually do
The words of James here are echoing Jesus in the sermon on the mount, so clearly.
The way of true faith, in the way of true discipleship in the way of true trust in God is the way of being attentive to his words, and focusing your mind, your heart your life on your actions on who you are, and what you do in your every day life
It is so easy for our christianity to become about our thoughts and feelings. About how God accepts us no matter how broken we are, about getting more motivation and experiencing positive emotions - and yet is amazing that for all the obsession with emotions and self love in todays christian world so many people are CONSTANTLY just down and depressed and unmotivated.
It is TRUE that God accepts us and saves us not on the basis of our actions. It is true that we cannot change ourselves.
However all the obsession with emotions often becomes a cover for the fact that at the end of the day, we really don't like someone telling us what to do.
There is something very different about a mindset on life that lives with a constant focus on God's Word and your own daily actions - a heart that is open and always says, "Lord, teach me to change. Tell me what to do with my life and I want to do it."
Is that a scary prayer for you?
We are not talking about performance religion here.
We are not talking about "do this and God will like you" we are not talking about "you can change yourself" we are not talking about "you can prove yourself".
We are talking about practice.
There is something radical that changes about your faith when you just allow the Word to constantly shine on your daily actions.
You realize how weak you are. You realize how often you stumble and fall short.
You don't ignore your flaws. You just bring them honestly to the Lord and you ask for his power all the more.
THIS IS TRUE DISCIPLESHIP. This is truly honest and humble spirituality.
"Jesus teach me to live like you."
When you do this it becomes a lot easier to not see all the problems and flaws around you. It becomes a lot easier to close your mouth because you just know how much you have to grow.
I am a thinker by nature. I love to read and reflect. To have big ideas.
And its been God's great grace in the last few years to send repeated seasons of very little time to sit and read and think.
Lots of sleepless nights. Lots of diapers and bills and decisions and changes. Lots of challenging moments as a parent, as a husband.
Its easy to get up here and say a bunch of really nice spiritual stuff.
The question is can I go and live it all out before my wife and my kids?
If you allow your discipleship to Jesus to be real and honest LIFE WILL HUMBLE YOU. But it will also make you so much more powerful because you devote so much more attention and energy just trying to learn to walk with Jesus.
Is your discipleship to Jesus a daily process of shining the mirror of God's Word to your daily life and daily actions? Are you honest with yourself and with God? Or do you listen and hear and walk away and forget everything - because at the end of the day, you just don't want anyone telling you what to do.
2. The action of obedience is motivated by freedom and blessing.
25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.
There is always going to be a person that says - this sounds like religion. We are not under law but under grace! Stop talking about obedience!
This is a common misconception.
The difference between human centered religion and true gospel faith is NOT the idea of obedience.
The difference is the MOTIVATION.
Human centered religion is always SELF focused. I can work hard. I can obey God. I can earn his love and blessing. I can change myself.
Gospel faith says, "I can do nothing on my own. I am a hopeless and dead sinner. I look and I run to Jesus as my only hope and trust. I see him. He died for my justification when I was lost. His love and his goodness changes my heart. I want nothing else but to belong to him and walk in his ways. And even if I fail a thousand times I will still come to him and ask him for help because he is my life and my only hope."
As Dallas Willard explained, "Grace is opposed to EARNING. Grace is NOT opposed to EFFORT."
this gets to the core of our motivation for action.
James calls God's instruction for our lives "the law of freedom"
True freedom is NOT doing whatever I want. True freedom is having the power and the ability to do what I am made for.
1 John 5:2-4
2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, 4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
The difference between a true and false Christian is how we relate to God’s word.
To the unbeliever God’s word is a binding limiting command that takes away our selfish freedom.
To the true believer in God’s word is truth it is the way of life is the instruction that unleashes our full potential as gods created image bears Imagine a person who pays $15,000 to get into a exclusive personal class with top, most successful business people of their time, and get one on one coaching and very specific instructions on how they could work effectively in today’s market to be able to grow and achieve their financial dreams.
Would they then complain about how much instructions they’re being given and how much they’re being told what to do?
That’s absurd but that is how so many Christians behave. God has given his life to save us to transformer hearts to give us a new heart in a new way of life. And he gives us his word as the greatest gift of grace to teach us to walk in his ways.
But I response is to complain about how much instructions there are, and how much we don’t like being told what to do
Obedience to God, and doing what he says, is the true path of our freedom
The beautiful truth that is assumed in his words here is that as God gives you a new heart - his Word becomes your life and you have God's power working in your life to enable you to obey his truth.
"Ugh I am so weak I always stumble"
"Yes, but also you have a new heart and you have the Holy Spirit living inside you - you CAN obey God's word. The question is do you want to? Or are you just making excuses??"
At the end of the day, we all do what we believe will bring us happiness.
Your deepest beliefs always win
Even if you are living a hypocritical life, and you are being lazy and neglectful in your life and not spending your money the way you should the reason you are doing that is because somehow your heart has come to the belief that doing what you’re doing is more satisfying than putting in hard work And being more responsible in your life
James says here that the person who is persevering in the word, the person who is seeking to walk in the ways of God, the person who is always asking God to teach them to live differently the person who is always inviting the spirit of God and the word of God to invade their daily, lives to challenge them to teach them to confront them to change them a person who won’t settle until he sees God’s ways being lived out in his life. This person will be truly blessed. This person will be truly happy and joyful.
What do you want more than anything else? What do you believe more than anything else is the key to your joy and blessings?
Money, friends, marriage health?
James says there’s just one key one thing that’s more than important than anything else
James says more than anything else you should desire to walk in Gods ways.
You should desire change. You should desire to do what God says. You should desire your own personal godliness.
There’s this image in the old testament that keeps coming back over and over that’s been stuck in my mind it’s that image of the tree that is always green no matter what the season around it is
The tree that is stable, strong and healthy in the midst of wind, or scorching heat or rain.
This is the picture of the person who desires, one thing above everything else to know God into walk in his ways.
As if we have not been punched in the gut enough. James goes from the action of obedience to the fruit of obedience.
3. True godliness is seen in what we say and who we serve.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
ok ok well yeah of course I want to obey God I ask him to change my heart all the time.
In order to reallyIn order to really land the idea, James gives us a sampling of how to test ourselves
This is of course, not a comprehensive list of what it means to be truly godly or truly religious.
There’s a lot of different ways that people would like to describe their godliness or maybe make themselves feel spiritual, or religious or godly in a good way
But James just casually pics three areas that are very hard to fake
Now it’s also interesting to notice that these three ideas he will continue to weave over and over through the epistle as we go forward. So we will go a lot deeper and all three of these topics later on today they’re just a sampling a way to get us started a way to jog our hearts to poke our hearts to give us a deeper awareness of our own spiritual condition.
First of all, he says that truly godly person is the person who bridals their tongue or teams their tongue
We can do and say so many spiritual things, but what is it that comes out of your mouth when real pressure and real difficulties press down into our lives
It’s really telling that often times conversations among people in the church, as true as they may be, can be a fertile ground for gossip in for destroying other people with our words
it doesn’t matter how true it is question is, what are we doing with our words what kind of intentions are driving us from our hearts in the things that we say about others
The person of true faith, the person whose faith is marked by action, is constantly inviting, gods strength, and gods power, and God‘s truth into his words.
The second test James gives is our ability to serve people in need
Again, we can meet at Bible’s and go to church and pray and do all those good spiritual things but the question is that does your love for God drive you and move you inevitably to seek to care for to help people in need around you
One of the repeated topics in the old testament is how much God, who is all powerful and glorious him who reigns in heaven, how much he cares for the widow in the orphan how much he cares for those who do not have any power how much he cares for those who are oppressed and need help
The third test that James gives us is our relationship to the sin and worldliness around us
We can pray and go to church and do lots of spiritual things, but the question is is our life polluted by the sinful behaviors, values, and ideas of the world around us?
What do we crave when we want to relax and rest do we crave sinful entertainment?
What kind of music? What kind of contact? What kind of photos and videos fill our devices?
True godliness does not mean you are PERFECT and have no sin.
True godliness means you DON'T DESIRE the filth.
And if you don't desire it you will pursue Jesus in your daily life so that these things do not fill your life.
James is words are a two edged sword for us today. They cut deep. They convict a show us how far we fall short of the standard God’s truth.
But we really need to press deeper than that question is not do we fall short the question is what do you really want today?
If you are a Christian, his heart has been transformed. Do you not desire to walk in the ways of God?
This passage doesn’t just end us in guilt. It should lead us to look to the one who walked in perfect obedience, for our sake, because he loved us when we did not love him.
The one who spoke perfectly, the word of God, who’s words were always restrained and full of truth
The one who serve those in need around him, in ways that we could never imagine
The one who walked amidst all the sinners, and touched and hugs and love them, and yet remained perfectly untainted by their sin, and never ever entering into the simple things of the world around him
If you’re not a Christian today, this is a perfect invitation to expose your heart to say you need to change your heart needs changing the only one that can change your heart is Jesus US look to him he must look to the amazing love that he has demonstrated for you to pull you out of your sin and your death, and to give you a new life and to teach you to walk in his Waze, because he loves you
If you are a Christian today, this word must invite you into the joy of obedience
It must challenge you to stir you to reevaluate your expectations in your definition of discipleship
Is your discipleship about feeling and thinking or is your discipleship about your life your action about truly desiring to walk in the ways of God?
Application:
• Is your faith marked by a genuine desire to walk in God's ways?
• What is the freedom that you are striving after?
• What is the image of blessing and joy that captivates your heart?
• Does your faith in Jesus move you to want to walk, talk and love like Jesus loved?