James 1 How to Really Change
“Preaching Before the Pit
During the last days the Third Reich, as the Nazi terror struggled in its final throes and allied bombs rained down on Stuttgart, Helmut Thielicke preached a remarkable series of sermons based on the Lord’s Prayer. These were days of uncertainty and death. On more than one occasion the shriek of air raid sirens interrupted the sermon.
Thielicke writes that during this period there were times when he felt utterly stricken: “My work in Stuttgart seemed to have gone to pieces; and my listeners were scattered to the four winds; the churches lay in rubble and ashes.”
In one of the messages from this series, based upon the petition “Thy Kingdom come,” Thielicke describes an encounter with a woman from his congregation. It happened as he was standing in the street looking down into the pit of a cellar–all that remained from a building that an allied bomb had shattered. The woman approached him and declared, “My husband died down there. His place was right under the hole. The clean-up squad was unable to find a trace of him; all that was left was his cap.”
What does a pastor say in a moment like this? “I’m sorry,” hardly seems adequate. But the woman had not come to Thielicke for sympathy. She wanted to express her gratitude. “We were there the last time you preached in the cathedral church” she continued. “And here before this pit I want to thank you for preparing him for eternity.”
This is as good a definition of preaching as I have heard. Better, perhaps, than many, because of its stark realism. Preaching is preparing others for eternity. Preaching is having the last word. To preach is to take your stand before the pit and bear witness to the rubble of this ash heap world that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
— John Koessler
Prayer
How to really change
James 1:21-22
[21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant 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.
How People Really Change
“Once when I was preaching in a church that’s more on the “decently and in order” side of Christian liturgy, my host warned me that one woman there was a lot more demonstrative than the rest of the congregation. “There are certain songs we sing that make her start crying and waving her hands,” he said. “And that’s fine. We just want to make sure that we don’t move into a kind of emotionally driven worship.”
I know what he meant. I wonder, though, whether that woman’s “emotionalism” might just be closer to biblical application than the to-do list of action items at the end of the Bible study she’d just attended.
Whether it means starting out at a new church or Bible study or signing up for a gym membership or yoga class, most people at some point sense a need to change their lives. Most of us in ministry want to see “changed lives” or “transformed” people. The question is, How do people actually change?” – Russell Moore
“No one will develop a transformative and durable new practice of prayer unless they fundamentally want to and want to enough to carry them through life’s inevitable obstacles,” he writes. “As Jesus told us, you must change the tree first, then the right fruit will follow (Matt. 12:33–35). Focus on the heart, and the practices will follow; focus on the practices alone, and we’re back to the brick wall.”
James 1:19-27
[19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant 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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
[26] If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. [27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
———-
Here’s what James is saying.
- He’s saying don’t just be hearers of the word, but doers.
A quick reminder on the doctrine of salvation. We cannot earn our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So, we don’t earn our salvation via our works. We cannot. We are imperfect, fallen sinful people. Only the work of Jesus on the cross (a perfect sacrifice) can save us. So what’s James telling us? Well…let’s finish up Paul’s point here in Ephesians 2
Ephesians 2:10
[10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Oh…so we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. And when Paul or anyone else in the NT references “in Christ” they mean the saints, the saved, the elect. So when we are saved we are “in Christ” and we are created in Christ for good works….that we should walk in them…..that we should do them. Not because I’m earning anything, because I should and because I should want to. I should want to please my Father in heaven, I should want to obey and serve Him.
How do I do this? (In our passage)
The key word here in our passage today is the word….. “word”
It’s our key to responding to trials and resisting temptations.
Let’s break our passage into 3 parts with 3 words to help us remember
- Receive
- Respond
- Resign
- Receive (the word)
James 1:19-21
[19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Look in verse 21…receive, that means to take it in, not just listen for it, but to really hear it…why? It’s able to save our souls. It’s the Gospel…the Good News, God’s word and it is profitable for us to hear. It helps us.
Look at how he starts here, though very practical and good instruction for us and our children. Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. Isn’t that wise? Two ears and one mouth right? Or as the rabbis used to say the ears are clearly open for hearing but the tongue is walled off behind our teeth and lips. And think of the wisdom here, when we are angry we aren’t listening so well right? So, James is saying, let’s listen to others, not talk too much, not get mad too quickly and receive (with meekness) the implanted word. Good advice right?
“Let us always guard our tongue; not that it should always be silent, but that it should speak at the proper time.”
St. John Chrysostom
…….notice one more thing here in 21 it’s talking about saving your souls…that’s not about salvation.
“… the expression [save your souls] is never found in any New Testament text which describes the conversion experience!”
“Very early in my ministry, I was taken aback by a man who could recite all the relevant biblical passages about the dangers of adultery and the importance of marital fidelity but who sat in my office—with his wife and new baby—waving all of that aside as he told me he was leaving his marriage for someone else. “I’ve fallen in love,” he said, with a shrug that seemed to imply, What is there left to say?” – Russell Moore
If you want to read up on the consequences of sin, read Proverbs.
- Respond (to the word)
James 1:22-25
[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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
The word respond isn’t used here, but it’s implied….but be doers of the word and not hearers only.
See what that is telling us happens if we just know the words but don’t do them? We’re like someone who looks in the mirror and immediately forgets what he sees…he’s using this here to help us, that’s the last thing we should forget right? Our own face? He’s not saying to be vain. He’s giving an illustration that we should be able to take in the word and not forget it…no more than we’d forget our own face.
Knowing God’s will is a good thing, but does you no good if you don’t do what he tells you to do.
Look deeper (respond). Sometimes it’s hard to do this, we don’t want to discover things about ourselves that need work, we blind ourselves to it, that’s just rationalizing your own behavior, it’s “that’s just the way I am” talk.
- Resign (to the word)
-
- Make up your mind or perpetual and ongoing
James 1:26-27
[26] If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. [27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Last thing in this passage as instructions to make it through trials and reject temptation is to resign ourselves to the word, meaning to not only hear it and respond to it, but to commit to it, live by it. If you only hear it and don’t do it, it won’t work….. if you hear it and respond once, it may likely work, but won’t last….if you receive and respond and and resign (live by it) then it changes you…it helps you, it makes you holier and more like Jesus.
The word religious is only used 4 times in the NT. Makes you understand that God (as he tells us many times) is more interested in a change of our hearts than how many religious rituals we do. Remember Jesus told the Pharisees that it’s the inside of the cup that needs cleaning. They were worried about controlling God by following the rules instead of loving God by humbling their hearts. That’s us too. That’s why I used the term “kinda Christian” last week. You know that’s not really possible right? To be “kinda Christian” it’s like being kinda piloting an airplane…either I am or I’m not.
So here in James 1:26-27 James is telling us don’t be mouthy and gossipy and argumentative (notice back to slow to speak) that that isn’t the mark of a Christian, but instead true religion, true following, true worship of the Lord is doing things like taking care of widows and orphans. If we don’t have compassion for them, we sure aren’t going to have compassion for anyone else right?
So…God’s word…let’s receive it, respond to it and resign ourselves to it. To change.
