"Walking the Talk" (James 1:17-27)

Vision / Dedication



I see a church which wants to grow in their appreciation of God’s Word. Because of this, they will grow in their concern for their neighbour, and daily seek to live out the life of Jesus. In this, they will become closer to the God who travels with us, and Who opens up opportunities to bless others. We have a ministry to anyone God brings across our path. We can light up that path! We can reflect the hope … that trials can be endured, and evil can be restrained. We can testify together to a merciful and faithful God. I see a community in need, yet one that will appreciate … that there is a church that cares, albeit imperfectly. I see people in that community, responding to the good news of Jesus and joining us in worship. In this we celebrate. To this end, I dedicate this message from God’s Word.



Prelude



We talked last week, around our examination of John chapter 3, about how our light might shine in the darkness. Once we have believed in Jesus, and been “born again”, and begun on the path of salvation and eternal life – we are also moving from “darkness” to “light”. I talked about how this involved both internal and external change. The change within was based on Jesus being the “Light of the World” – Jesus being the One, through his life, death and resurrection, that makes a complete change in our life possible. The external change is motivated by Jesus saying to his disciples, and by extension to us, “YOU are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14)! This … provides us with a job description.



At the end of last week’s message, I asked the question … ‘How can we reveal the light this week’? The answers received concentrated mainly on conversations that were expected in the coming week, and hopefulness that these conversations would go in a good direction. As conversation is one of the main dynamics of life, these answers would seem very wise. What we believe i.e. about Jesus and Who He Is for us, should be so much a part of who we are … that our conversation would, more and more naturally over time, point towards him. Maybe not directly by Name … at first, be we would certainly be bringing Jesus’ light into dark places. And, unfortunately, there are many dark places … of abuse, cruelty, dishonesty and violence. 



Introduction



So, I went to the most practical of all New Testament books – James. Chapter 1 and verses 17 to 18, seem to summarise where we were last week. All the good that can be done, or we can do, has its source in “the Father of lights”. The wondrous God who created all the universe in benevolent love – and who IS, and sheds light, upon everything He created – is the ultimate source of all the good that can be done in the world. More than this, we ourselves were created to be the channels of these “generous acts of giving”. The capacity for goodness flows from God to us, so that it might spill out from us.



As we look at verse 18, we see that each of us here, as part of our original birth, and certainly via the “born again” experience – have the potential to become a “kind of first fruits”. All creation is waiting, as Paul would put it in Romans 8, for the revealing of the children of God (v 19). James, in verse 18, refers to the “word of truth”. I think this is best understood as God’s self-revelation – God explaining or describing or showing … what He is like. So, as we are generous, God becomes known as generous. Ultimately, this self-revelation of God, this “word or logos” of truth, was seen in Jesus. If you know Jesus, you know the Father. The pages of the Holy Scriptures in the New Testament show us Jesus, and thus reveal who God is.



The Implanted Word (verse 21)



We read in verse 21, this great phrase … “the implanted word”. This is the idea that God’s Word can be planted deeply in our lives. We are going to head on to say … that we need to be “doers” of God’s Word – but to progress to being “doers” … to truly have God’s Word implanted in us – we first have to be ‘listeners’, ‘readers’ and ‘hearers’. We have to sit under God’s Word. We also need to be prepared to let God’s Word take effect in our lives. We need to place our lives under the discipline of God’s Word. This is why the Bible, along with the leading of the Spirit, is the major driver of our worship. The Bible should also guide our home groups, and the priorities of our church.



We read here that we are to “welcome” with “meekness” (verse 21b) … the “implanted word”. To “welcome” means to willingly allow access and gladly receive; “meekness” means that we know we need the Word, and are ready to learn, are teachable, and willing to receive new (life-changing) insights … being prepared to make the prescribed changes. The Word needs to be planted deep within us, so that it grows roots, springs up, and produces a crop of beautiful fruit. God’s Word becomes part of us – part of who we are – a driver for how we operate. This often requires a sacrifice of our own desires, and even long-held viewpoints – towards a preference for the calling … God has designed for us (or designed us for).



We need to study God’s 'Word of truth' – because it is likely to help us stay the journey, and also to fuel our maturity. Part of the process of salvation we are on, is the application of God’s truth to our everyday life. As we ‘believe’ in Jesus, commit ourselves to him, and follow him – God’s Spirit can be leading us into greater understandings and applications of the Scriptures. This is how we will learn more about God, and therefore be more likely to shine a bright light into the darkness.



Part of this “welcoming with meekness” is what comes earlier in verse 21. Sometimes … often really … there will be the need for us to make more space for the ‘Word of truth’ to be planted (in us). Old crops might need to go; and certainly weeds could be taking up needed space! “Therefore rid yourselves of …” whatever would fill up the space that ‘the Word’ would need to occupy. I will come back to this point. For now, we could just quote Jesus saying, “You will know them by their fruits” (Mt 7:20)! Also, having the Word “implanted”, would mean that we would say the right things … more often, and the wrong things … less often. This is because we are allowing God’s Word to change our default settings – or who we are down deep. We read in Psalm 119 verse 11: “I treasure Your Word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you”.



It is NOT just the letter of the “Word” that we are welcoming, but also its full meaning – especially those strong and repeating themes throughout the 66 books. As we “welcome” the “Word”, the Holy Spirit can bring us very significant applications (which would, of course, need to be based on a broad understanding of the breadth of the Scriptural witness). We would need to look deeply into how the ‘words’ reveal the character, attitudes, priorities, and will of God. We would need to discover how the Bible defines our service to others.



We know … that this is NOT just an intellectual quest – for we are to be “doers, NOT just “hearers” of the Word (verse 22). [[I read this pointed quote from church planting guru Neil Cole … and I see the challenge of it. “It is possible to have the creed and NOT the deed; we don’t need a statement of faith – we need a real faith that makes a statement”.]] A M Hunter, wrote: “Truth is something to be done, not merely believed; and a right act is so much of the truth made visible”. Some can be deceived, that just because they hear the Bible read, or sit under some preaching, that they are actually okay or fulfilling their obligations. However, unless the Word of God becomes “implanted” in us (verse 21), and flows out of us, we are unlikely to be serving God’s purposes to our full capacity. We need to avoid any such self-deception!



What does it mean for you to be a “doer” of God’s Word???



The Law of Liberty (verse 25)



One of the spaces that might need to be cleaned out, so that we can fully appreciate God’s Word, is how we feel about other people. This sort of negativity can fill up space where the good Word could otherwise be implanted! These might be people who have hurt us. These could be people with very different lifestyles or motivations to us. These could be people that tend to repel us. James uses another description of “the implanted word” in verse 25 i.e. the “perfect law” or the “law of liberty”. God’s Word clearly points to God’s desire that people will experience freedom. As other parts of the book of James point out (e.g. 2:8), loving our neighbour toward their spiritual freedom is the “perfect law”! [Referred to actually as the "royal law" - you can't get bigger than that!] The Bible generally reflects God’s long search for lost souls.



As we saw last week from John chapter 3, God desires that none should perish, that none will be condemned, and it is a tragedy indeed when anyone chooses to reject God. The famous John 3:16 is followed by verse 17 – “Indeed, God did NOT send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him”. This reflects the “law of liberty” – the Word that says … God comes into the world with mercy that brings freedom. This freedom then (as we consider verse 27) extends quite broadly – from relieving the injustice and distress endured by others on the one hand, to being less and less affected by any negative (or false) worldly values on the other (or being better placed to avoid things that may lead us astray)!



We see at the end of verse 25, that there is a great “blessing” on offer for those who “look” {the Greek here indicating ‘looking intently’} into the “law of liberty” … with perseverance – acting on what they hear. James returns to this theme in chapter 2, where we read, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty” (2:12). So … as we have received mercy, we should promote mercy. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Mt 5:7)! I said last week, we should NOT want to condemn anyone, but rather understand their predicament, as God has understood our predicament!



We should NOT expect anyone to act in a ‘righteous’ or God-fearing way, if they haven’t yet experienced the ‘Light’ shining in the darkness … or, if they haven’t yet experienced the Spirit sufficiently to properly understand or interpret God’s Word. For, when we make (often unfortunate) judgments, we also act (negatively) out of those judgments. James goes on, “For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (2:13). God’s mercy covers a multitude of sins – praise God for that!



Conclusion



So, as I reflect on this passage from James, I can clearly see the need to clear the space to have God’s Word implanted in me – to be actively welcoming and responsive to this ‘Truth’ about life, and in life. In so doing, I will understand more of Who God Is, and the bold and wonderful mercy that I have been afforded. As I get a greater grip on that generous gift of mercy, I will be more ready to reflect that same mercy to others – this in very real terms … bringing light into dark places. I will NOT just be a hearer about mercy, or a just recipient of mercy – but also a channel of mercy! We might also say … that to be a “doer” of God’s Word – is to act as Jesus acted. Amen.



Benediction



“Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good, so that you may do His will, working among us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).