Scripture:
James 1:12-27 NKJV
[12] Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. [13] Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. [14] But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. [15] Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. [16] Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. [17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. [18] Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. [19] So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; [20] for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. [22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; [24] for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. [25] But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. [27] Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Observation:
I have to say it wasn’t easy not to grab this whole chapter and write about it, because the letter that James wrote, although it is not very long, is absolutely full of extremely good instructions on how to conduct ourselves as true believers in Christ, not to mention it’s probably my favorite book in the Bible. It was the first one that I was able to read all the way through. So as I prayed asking the LORD to guide me to what HE wanted us to know this morning, a phrase that came from this letter planted itself into my thoughts. I had no idea as I began to read the chapter that so much of it would speak so loudly this morning, but that’s just the power that is found in GOD’S word. I hope to get to all of it but time is always a little limited. But let’s dive in. James is one of those teachers that doesn’t hold back. Being a brother to Christ he saw a lot of things first hand. Including the resurrection which was what actually brought him from skeptic to true believer. I’m sure you can see how being related might bring some kind of doubt to the fact that your brother was the SAVIOR of the world. But once that was revealed the fire and passion that James had intensified immensely. Seeing the trials that his brother endured and experiencing his own due to the persecution that came after it was all said and done, he was speaking from experience as he began to teach about what it looks like to walk in faith. Persevering through temptation and knowing where it comes from is the key. Its a heart position what James is saying is when we face temptation what we need to look at is our own desires. It’s not something that GOD has done with our own heart. Once that is lined up with the LORD we will see that every good and perfect gift comes from the LORD. That won’t change. Once we know that it’s easier to remain silent and just allow things to play out without letting wrath overtake us. That brings us to the meat of the message that was brought to me this morning. James has a wonderful way of putting things where there is really no way out of paying attention looking at verse 21 he calls true believers to lay aside the things that are not good and put on meekness. This characteristic is something that he watched his brother display as HE went willingly to the cross. Meekness is often mistaken for weakness, but honestly it’s not weakness at all. The word means having power yet controlling it. When we see the word soul it seems to always refer to our mind’s will and emotions, so as James teaches us what he is saying so that the word of GOD has the power to change not only the way we think but the way we do things and how we react. As he continues to press on through this teaching his purpose is to direct us to not just hear the word but to put it into action. Allowing it to do exactly what it is designed to do. I love the word “Implanted” . It takes me back to the parable of the sower, and its explanation. The word of GOD is like a mirror. It’s designed to reflect who we are, and direct us to who HE made us to be. What James is saying is if we just read it and don’t allow it to change our lives then it’s like looking into a mirror and forgetting the fact that we have dirt all over our face. Putting GOD’S word into practice is where faith begins. Bringing this chapter to a close and preparing for what he is going to present in the next chapter. He makes the statement of what true religion looks like. Taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves, and being careful of the seeds that are sown.
Application:
Have you ever been to church and heard a sermon that moved your heart, left the church and changed nothing? Or been reading the Bible and stumbled across something that pointed out a change that needed to be made yet overlooked it? I think if we are all honest we could answer yes to those questions without even thinking about it. We have the opportunity here in the United States to become numb to the word. So many opportunities to be fed by others. But not feeding ourselves, or when we do feed ourselves it’s just at the surface level. We don’t take the time to dig in. There is a power inside of GOD’S word that will change our lives if we put it into practice. Being slow to react and knowing that all good things come from GOD, is the beginning of putting faith into action. I kind of want to dive into that word a little bit. It’s come up a few times and so I believe it’s necessary. We may have had the opportunity to read Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1 where the definition of faith is given, but if not I will go ahead and quote it, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Now let’s tie that to what we have been studying for the letter that James wrote. After reading or hearing GOD’S word. We may not see the character that GOD has designed us to have but faith moves towards bringing it out. Faith is believing something so much that you reach for it. The bible says it’s impossible to please GOD without it, so moving towards what HIS word says is what puts a smile on HIS face. I’m sure my desire is not much different than those who find themselves reading this. It’s to hear one phrase, and in order to hear it, putting GOD’S word into practice is the requirement. Putting away the old man and picking up the new man that the word told us we are is the key. The phrase is, “Well done my good and faithful servant, now enter into my rest.” I hope I’m in good company in saying I want my life to be a pleasing aroma to the LORD. That means there is no time to become numb to the word. Continuing to be transformed and remaining hunger for the bread of life is the key to that. Will we be perfect on this side of eternity? I don’t think so, but Jesus Christ died so that we could become new. HE didn’t leave us trapped in our sin HE gave us the ability to overcome it, but we will have to find the application of GOD’S word, that’s why I love these SOAPS so much, It’s designed to show us how the Bible applies to us, it’s not just a book, it’s a road map. Put it into action and see your life transform.
Prayer:
Father, you are so good to us. You know just what it takes to light a fire under us. This morning as we have had the opportunity to read what you have said to us, we pray that we do not walk away without staying focused on putting it into practice. We do not want to remain where you found us. Show us the next step. Give us a hunger for your word not only to read it but to apply it to our lives and watch them change. Resting on the finished work of Christ. HE came so that we may have life in abundance. That’s a promise that we want. We do not want the old man to keep trying to drag us down. Renew our mind so that we see clearly. Give us wisdom so that we will see the answers that are needed for the situations in our lives, and give us the courage to do what you have called us to do. We want the change you have promised. That’s why we are here every morning searching your word for what you have in store for us. Our love for you is so much greater than our love for this world. Let our lives reflect that we have spent time with you. It’s on the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.