Don’t Be Deceived

Reverend Debbie Cato

James 1:16 - 27

Peace Presbyterian Church

August 17, 2014

Don’t Be Deceived

This Sunday is the beginning of a series of readings from the Book of James. About 7 or 8 or so of us have been studying James after fellowship time this summer and we've been having some really great conversations. I've learned a lot from what the others are gleaning from James and I think the others will agree that they are also learning a lot from our study. I decided to turn our conversations into a sermon series! We will spend the next five Sundays looking at James' understanding of the Christian life. This is his primary concern. The shape of the Christian life. What ought the Christian life look like? The Book of James is five short chapters and the study group has taken 8 weeks to get through these 5 short chapters! They are short but they are very deep.

James assumes that we have already faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; that we already believe, and he asks the question, so what? So what does this mean for our life? He is aware that people sometimes confine their understanding of faith to a simple series of truth claims—something limited to our heads or our intellect. For James, this is inadequate. Faith isn't just about knowing stuff; it isn't just about head knowledge. The faith that James is talking about is faith that is active in a person's life; a faith that’s alive; faith you can see.

James insists that true faith is whatever is actually active or obvious in your life. For James, faith that is not active is not faith at all. And in this, James agrees with Paul, who wrote to the church in Galatia, ⁶ “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Faith expressing itself through love.

James spends the first few verses explaining that God is the giver of every perfect gift. God nurtures us, gives us gifts, and provides directions for our lives. God supplies all the good things in our lives. Based on who God is, calls us to holy living – and The Book of James teaches us what this holy living looks like. Holy living. Yikes!

There's a prayer I used to keep on my refrigerator that speaks to the depth of my own holy living. Of course, I'm a pastor - “a reverend.” I certainly don't expect you “lay people” to be as holy as I am – but I thought I would share it with you – you know, something for you to work toward!

Dear Lord,

So far today I've done all right.
I haven't gossiped, cursed, or lost my temper.
I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over indulgent.
I am really glad about these things.

But, in a few minutes Lord,
I am going to get out of bed,
and from then on,
I'm probably going to need a lot more help.

Thank You,
In Jesus' Name. AMEN (Author Unknown)

I absolutely love that! Can you relate? My attempt at holy living often lasts until I wake up in the morning – and then I open my mouth!

As I told the folks in the Bible study – we are on a journey. And anyone – anyone who thinks they have reached perfection, is fooling themselves. And that is what today’s passage warns us about. “Do not be deceived, my beloved.” Do not be deceived.

Do not to be deceived by who we think we are. BUT – James' angle may surprise you!James understands that people don’t always live as the people they are in God. He speaks about a lack of connection between hearing and doing; between who one is and what one does.

He asks us to picture ourselves standing in front of a mirror. We are to pause there as James asks, "Do you see who you are?" Ordinarily, standing in front of a mirror might mean that we see ourselves as thin or overweight, blemished, disheveled, wrinkled, or scarred. But that is not what James is getting at. Instead, we are to think about ourselves in light of what has just been said. Do you see who you are? You are someone who has been blessed by God's gifts; someone who has been brought to new life through God's Word—a person who is a first fruit, (the best fruit!), set aside as someone who belongs to God, created in the very image of God. Do you see who you are? Do you really see who you are

What happens when you forget who you are? Who's you are? Life typically takes another course. If you forget how much you have been given, why would you give anything to others? If you forget how much you have received, then life is reduced to a search to get what you can while you can. You may find the situation of the orphan and the widow to be regrettable, but conclude that this is the way the world is and you need to get what you can while you can. Or what if you forget that God's Word has given you new, bringing you into a renewed relationship with the God who made you and wants you as His own? If you forget what God's Word gives you, then what you do with your words doesn’t really matter very much.

So, James instructs Christians about daily life. Daily life as a Christian. He is keenly aware of the power of human speech – both to build up and to destroy. “Be slow to use your tongue, or bad-mouth others,” James warns. Why is he especially concerned with the way we use words?

When I was serving in Wyoming, I had the opportunity to work with a gentleman named, David LoLeng from the PC(USA) Evangelism Office in Louisville, KY. I was the moderator of the Presbytery's New Church Development and Evangelism Team and we were rolling out this wonderful denominational evangelism material statewide called ENGAGE. David and I traveled around the state doing regional workshops on ENGAGE for the churches in Wyoming. Anyway, David told a story about standing in a video store line waiting to rent a video. He was standing behind a woman who was being belligerent to the sales clerk who was waiting on her. She was cursing her out and yelling and being very rude and obnoxious. The sales clerk was a young woman and after being verbally abused for a while, the clerk said she needed to get her manager and she walked away. The woman in front of David turned around and said to him, “Can you believe how incompetent these people are?”

David noticed that she was wearing a shirt that had the logo & name of a local mega church on it with their slogan “World Changers” on it. He said he took a moment and prayed and then he said, “Do you think you should be talking to the sales clerk like that? You are being rude & disrespectful.”

David said the woman got really angry at him and started cursing him out and yelling at him. When the sales clerk returned, the woman got what she wanted and then left, but not before making a couple of other ripe comments. After she left, the manager said to the clerk, “That’s why I hate Christians.” That's why I hate Christians. “Be slow to use your tongue,” James advises.

“Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words will never hurt me.” Remember that little childhood rhymn? How untrue that is. How many of you remember cruel, hurtful words that were said to you 10, 20, 30 years ago that still hurt? “Be slow to use your tongue.”

James was a keen observer of human nature and he paid close attention to the details of everyday living. He noticed generous acts, the small gifts, the gestures and the words we use. He knew that such small acts are the nuts and bolts of everyday life, holding together the foundation on which we build community and social harmony. The way we use words can make a big difference in the way we relate to one another; the way we get along. Certainly the way we represent Christ. James knew that our words reveal what’s really in our hearts; our motivations,; our intentions; our beliefs. Destructive anger can poison our own lives and can poison the community. Human anger will never produce results that make things right. Destructive anger can never be the means for illuminating God’s presence or make room for divine goodness in our lives. It will never produce God’s righteousness.

James is a wise man. He knows that there is a difference between those who just hear the Word of God and those who hear and also obey. James, says, ²² “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James is saying that when we only listen to God’s Word, we deceive ourselves if we think we know what it means to follow God. Rather, we must listen AND obey. We must listen and DO what it says. For James, it’s simple: “every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. Faith without works is dead.

James contends that the integrity of our faith embraces both neighbor and self. Of course, this isn’t a new idea with James. When Jesus was being tested by experts of the law, he was asked by the Pharisees what the greatest commandment was. Jesus replied, ³⁷ "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

It’s not enough to just hear the Word of God. For James, it’s like saying “I really believe in Jesus’ I really believe in the resurrection,” but then give no evidence of such faith in dealing with his or her neighbor.¹

James promises that hearers will be blessed in their doing. The one who only hears is deceived, but the doer is blessed. The doers can rejoice in knowing that their actions, born out of the Word of God, demonstrate saving faith.

What are you? Are you a hearer or a doer? What are we as a church? Is Peace Presbyterian a hearer of the Word or a doer of the Word? What would people think of us if we wore our church shirts out in public? Let’s not be deceived.

              May His kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

1 Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4. Aaron L. Uitti. Pg. 17.