"But prove
yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude
themselves"
-- James 1:22 (New America Standard Bible)
Note: Last Sunday I began a sermon series on the Book of James. Some asked if they could have copies of my sermons in case they were unable to attend. I will blog an abbreviated form of each sermon here so those who wish to will be able to follow the series.
As a wedding present my wife and I received a cookbook from the Junior League of Northern Virginia -- "The Southern Hospitality Cookbook." Leafing through the pages I discovered a dish a really wanted to try - Cheddar Cheese Cake. My wife took a look at the ingredients and directions and said to me, "if you'd like this, I'll buy you a spring form pan and the ingredients and you can make it." I learned a lot from that experience. How hard it is to whip cream cheese. How you really do need to follow the recipe when it says to add the egg yolks and egg whites at separate times. I scraped my finger trying to grate the lemon peel and orange rind. I made a total mess of the kitchen, but in the end it actually turned out pretty nice. And now, 24 years later, I've become pretty good at making it. But I learned a lesson. It's not enough just to read the cook book and admire the pictures. To truly enjoy the treat you need to follow directions, experience making it a few times and go through the struggle of learning new things.
Today our scripture from First James -- prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers -- teaches a similar lesson. It's not enough to just read about living a life committed to Christ. If we truly want to experience the precious promises God gives to all believers, we must live according to the book. That means we may have to learn some new ways of living, experience a deeper spirituality and not make excuses or take short cuts when God's word asks us to take a difficult path.
The book of James has been a controversial book. The great reformer, Martin Luther, called it "an epistle of straw," because it emphasized works rather than grace as Paul's epistles do. I disagree with Luther, James is really just telling another side of the story. The Apostle Paul was speaking to newly converted Gentile Christians who were hungry to hear about forgiveness and grace. James, a leader of the Church in Jerusalem, was speaking to folks who had been raised in the Jewish faith before they came to know Christ as their Savior. In this context he was instructing them on the importance of making their belief more than just an intellectual understanding. He reminds them that their faith is of no use unless it is put into practice.
Many of us hear and read of God's precious promises for the joy and success we can find in our commitment to Christ. We accept him as Savior expecting those promises to be fulfilled immediately. We don't like the reminder that comes in the book of James that these promises come not simply by saying we believe but by living out our belief. And in the living our expectations of what God's promises are and our vision of success might just be transformed.
What does it mean to be a doer of the word and not simply a hearer?
First, it means that we live a life where we love God. That means we become faithful in worship. Worship is the place we gather we fellow believers and express our love for God. But it is also something deeper. When we are in love with someone we need to be in communication with him. How do we communicate with God? -- Through prayer. We need to lead a life of prayer and devotion where we do something more than simply give God our orders for what we need him to do. We need to express our feelings and emotions to God and listen for God's still small voice speaking to us how we might become the answers to our own prayers. How do we listen for God's voice? One key way is to study God's word and let the scriptures speak to the desires of our heart. The first step to being a doer of the word that experiences the precious promises of scripture is to be a lover of God who is faithful in worship, constant in prayer and diligent in the study of the word.
Second, it means living a life where we love people. This is challenging because God's word calls us to love our neighbor as our self the in the story of the Good Samaritan reminds us that our neighbors are not just the people we like. We love others when we live a life as gracious to others as God has been gracious to us. We learn to refrain from words that hurt and learn the words that bring healing. We forgive as we have been forgiven. We understand that our faith is not a solitary thing. We gather with other believers so we can be encouraged and so we can encourage them. The second step to being a doer of the word it to be one who loves people by leading a gracious and forgiving life that seeks the encouragement that comes in fellowship and is eager to offer encouragement to others.
Third, it means that we become a blessing as we have been blessed. When God called Abraham he promised him many things, a special land, divine protection, numerous descendants, but it was not simply because he was faithful. Genesis teaches us that God blessed Abraham so that through him and his descendants the world would be blessed. We are reminded that when God blesses us, it's because of our deserving but to fulfill God's purposes of blessing.
What does that mean for us in concrete ways? If we have been blessed with talents, gifts, skills, ability, wealth, security -- anything at all, it is so we can become a blessing to others. When we lead a life in this ways the offerings we once offered grudgingly become tithes we offer with joy. We aren't afraid to step forward and use our skills to help another person. When someone is in need before it we don't resent it, but welcome it as an opportunity to be a blessing. We lead a life where we find joy, not in what we receive but in what we can give.
When we live a life to be a blessing it changes our expectations of success. Most define success in earthly terms - a high salary or title, a beautiful home, a luxury car, or comfortable lifestyle. But when we live to be a blessing we find success not in monetary terms, not in titles or honors, not in cars or homes - but we see our success in the lives we've helped to change and in the way we have helped others discover the joy of becoming a blessing.
Jesus said, ""Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19 NASB), but build treasure in heaven. We build treasure in heaven when we touch the life of another, when we care for the least, the last and the lost as if they were Christ himself (see Matthew 25). We build up treasure in heaven when we become a blessing as we've been blessed.
This summer has been an incredible time at our church that many of you don't know about. Three times this summer, someone has sat in my office and prayed with me to change their life, grow closer to Christ and accept him as their savior. Some were folks we met at a cookout; some have come to our church for years, another someone who comes to our food pantry. This was not something that happened by one person’s efforts alone. Any of you who helped at our cookout or donated food, any who work at our food pantry, any who offered hospitality to visitors and welcomed them in our midst were a blessing to them. And the fruit is the joy of knowing that we helped someone become a part of God's family.
When we lead a life focused on loving God, loving people and being a blessing. We embark on a life of joy and inherit the precious promises of God. When one becomes a doer of the word, our vision of success changes. We no longer focus on what we get for ourselves; our vision of joy is transformed as we take joy in the way we have blessed others. One day we will all stand before the Lord and be transformed from this life to the next. In that moment it won't matter what the size of our bank account was, the honors or awards posted on our wall, the size of the home we lived in, or what kind of car we drove. But what will matter is that we built up treasure in heaven -- being a blessing to others offering food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, visiting the sick and the prisoner, caring for the least, the last and the lost as if they were Christ himself.(Matthew 25) Then we receive God's greatest blessing and experience the greatest success -- an eternity with the Lord we love and fellowship with all those who have served Christ on earth and continue to serve Christ in heaven.
Be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. Then we will experience the precious promises of scripture. They may not be the promises we expect right now. For when we live a life that loves God, loves people and becomes a blessing our vision of success changes to God's measure of success: how well we've used the gifts God has given us to be a blessing to others.
