Ralph Porter

© 2003

    People respond in different ways when they listen to God's Word. There are three common reactions to the teaching of God's Word. The first approach could be referred to as the leaven approach. This is sometimes described as "sit, soak, and sour!" Like yeast that is allowed to sit for days and not placed in anything, it ferments and spoils because it isn't used.

    The second way some people listen to God's Word could be referred to as the cafeteria approach. People "pick and choose" what they want. "I'll have a little of this, and I'd like to have some of that, but I don't want any of that other dish. People sometimes come to God's Word with that attitude. They'll take a little of the parts they like, but then they just leave what they don't want. It's a form of "selective hearing." I only take what I want to hear.

    The third way some people listen to God's Word is the basketball approach. We try to "pass the ball to the next guy!" Sometimes that approach is known as "Nudge thy neighbor!" You can tell how convicting the message is by the bruises people receive from the person sitting next to them.

    James presents a totally different approach to listening to God's Word. We could refer to it as James' mirror.

    James is writing to a church under siege on account of Christ. They have been scattered everywhere. Many have lost everything because of their faith in Christ. They are tempted to "throw in the towel" It's every man for himself. Their situation is not all that different than the church around the world as we face the 21st century. The church is again under siege for the name of Christ.

    More than two hundred million Christians in more than seventy countries face the threat of persecution. I'm convinced that the next generation will face greater persecution for the sake of Christ than any generation in the history of the world.

    James' words of counsel are important for God's people today. He speaks as a loving pastor, caring for his flock, as he shares these words of encouragement.

WHEN THE PRESSURE RISES,

WE SHOULD RESPOND BY

LISTENING TO GOD'S WORD AND

DOING WHAT HE SAYS.

    We must BOTH hear what He says and put it into practice! Look at the summary of James' message in James 1:22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Just listening isn't enough! To listen to God's Word without doing what it says is to deceive ourselves. We're kidding ourselves! It makes us feel good. It creates a "warm fuzzy feeling." But it does nothing for us. We must be doers of God's Word, not just hearers.

    James answers that question using first a negative illustration, and then a positive example. His negative illustration introduces the concept of James' mirror.

    We have several alternatives when we see ourselves in a mirror. Few of us get up in the morning, look at ourselves in the mirror and say: "Boy, I sure am a handsome dude!" For most of us the first impression on looking in the mirror is a bit disappointing. So we could respond to what we see in several different ways. The first way we might respond to what we see in the mirror would be to break the mirror! We could get mad at the mirror for pointing out a problem and smash the mirror. The second way some people might respond to what we see in the mirror would be to cry and get discouraged about what we see. The third way we could respond to what we see in the mirror is to ignore it and walk away. I did that a few weeks ago. I woke up one morning, looked at myself in the mirror, saw that I needed to shave, and then walked away and forgot what I had seen. A bit later, after going to my office, I happened to brush my hand against the side of my face and realized that I had forgotten to shave. So I quickly jumped in the car, drove home, and shaved. Sometimes, even after we see what needs to be done, we walk away and forget about it.

    There is yet another way that we can respond to what we see in the mirror. We can take a careful look at what we see and decide that we need to work on improving what we see. We can decide to take corrective action about what the mirror shows us.

    James compares God's Word to a mirror in which we see ourselves. He tells us that listening to God's word without doing what it says accomplishes nothing Just hearing what He says is worthless, unless we act on it!

    Look at what James says in verses 23-24. "Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

    Listening to God's Word and not doing anything about it is like looking at yourself in a mirror and walking away without doing anything about what you see. You soon forget what you saw. Neither response changes anything!

    After the negative illustration from our experience with mirrors, James then moves on to the positive exhortation. Looking into God's word and doing what it says produces blessing. When we carefully study God's Word and then obey whatever He tells us, the results will be good for us! Notice what he says in verse 25: " But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does." Look carefully and contemplatively into God's Word and then do something about what you see.

    James makes a couple of interesting comments about God's Word. He tells us that God's Word is perfect and that God's Word brings freedom--true liberty. It's interesting that James attaches these two descriptions to God's Word in a passage when he refers to it as "the law." Normally we don't think of the law as being perfect nor as being the source of freedom. We think of the law as being partial and temporary, only of value to us because it looked forward to Christ. Also, we think of the law as that which takes away our liberty. The law is restrictive, not freedom giving. It limits our freedom.

    James tells us that the law is perfect. It tells us everything we need to know to live godly lives and to please Him. Further, God's law is the source of true freedom. Freedom doesn't mean the absence of constraints. Suppose we're going skydiving together. When we get to 10,000 feet I suddenly announce: "I'm not going to use a parachute this time. That parachute is too confining. I want freedom!" When the skydiver chooses the "constraint" of the parachute, he's free to enjoy the exhilaratiing freedom of the big jump. God's law establishes parameters within which we can truly enjoy life.

    James' thought in this passage is that carefully contemplating God's Word continuously will change your life. Don't just put it out of your mind. It's not intended to be seen and left unchanged. It's intended for viewing carefully and taking corrective action. Do what it says! It will change your life!

    Finally, James concludes by affirming that responding obediently to what God says produces blessing. This is another "beatitude." Blessed (happy, satisfied, content) are those who DO what the Word of God says. That's the path to contentment! He doesn't say "Blessed are those who never face the pressure!" He says, "Blessed are those who face the pressure and DO what the Word of God says!" They will be satisfied-they'll be content-because of what they do.

    That's why we should look at ourselves carefully in the light of what God says and then make appropriate changes. Doing what God says will produce true freedom and great personal blessing.

    James introduces three examples to show us what this looks like in real life. He shows them what this looks like in their day, then we'll come back and see how these examples apply in our day also.

    How does this principle apply to their life? The first illustration of what it looks like in real life to do what God says is a negative illustration. He points out that religion that can't control our tongue is worthless. If our faith doesn't reach our tongue, it's meaningless!

    He tells us that in verse 26: " If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."

    Someone has pointed out that you're better off to confront a crocodile than a human. Crocodiles have a jaw, lips, and teeth, but no tongue. It can bite, but it has to come into contact with its victim to do that. People can destroy a person with our tongues without ever coming face to face with them.

    In the midst of persecution, people have a tendency to murmur and complain. They have a tendency to lash out at one another: "How come he has it so good, when I've just lost everything. He must be compromising!" James tells us that in times of adversity genuine faith in God will demonstrate itself in our ability to control our tongue.

    How does this principle apply to our life today? We want to look at three modern parallels to the three examples James tells us about. We could use three different examples to prove the same idea. His point is that if our religion is the real thing it will change our life! When we look into God's Word we will do whatever it tells us and that will change us! However, James' specific interest is to apply this concept to the times of persecution the church is facing. However, if the modern church is likely to find itself under siege as the early church did, then we also must understand how to apply these same principles to our own life. We even need to learn how to apply them to daily living when the church isn't under siege, but the pressure is rising in our own lives!

    The first illustration is a negative one for us also. How do we respond under pressure? When tension rises, how do we deal with it? When your husband criticizes you for the stroganoff you fixed that didn't taste "like mother used to make it;" or when your wife nags you for not picking up your clothes. Or more to the point in James, when your mate criticizes you for wanting to get up and go to that stupid church on Sunday morning. How do we respond?

    Or, when your best friend joins the other kids in laughing about you because you hang around with those "religious nuts" at school--and you think you're so much better than everybody else!

    How do we respond? Is our faith sufficient to control our tongue? If our walk with God can't control our tongue, James says it's worthless! Our faith ought to be big enough to keep our tongue under control, even when times are hard and the pressure rises.

    The second illustration of what it looks like in real life to do what God says is a positive illustration that is especially evident in times of adversity. In the midst of persecution, people have a tendency to protect themselves--it's every man for himself! Particularly when we are suffering, we try to invest our resources to get the best return for ourselves. We observed that during the revolution in Guatemala. People had a tendency to look out for themselves.

    James tells the persecuted church that a worthwhile religion, a religion that is valuable in God's sight, will cause us to care about the helpless. Religion that is acceptable to God will drive us to help those who can't care for themselves and may never be able to pay us back. That's why James begins verse 27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." True religion doesn't look for a return. It holds out no hope of eventual repayment.

    Comparing James' second illustration to our own circumstances, when we're going through hard times-when the pressure rises in our life--do we care about other people and what they're going through? Or, are we too busy watching out for ourselves?

    Some people in our church could think about themselves every Sunday. They have friends to talk to just like the rest of us. But instead of caring about themselves, they've selflessly chosen to attend to the needs of others. They pick up visually and hearing-impaired people and lead some of them around. Some interpret our message for others every Sunday, so these people can hear God's Word too.

    Other people in our church give some of their time to go down to the prison and be friends to prisoners, and tell them about God's love, or write letters to encourage them. Some people in our church take food and clothes to people with special needs, repair cars for single moms, or repair roofs, build stairs, or plant yards for people who can't do it themselves. There are many ways that people can get involved in selflessly serving others, with no hope of being paid back. This is especially hard to do when times are difficult and everyone has their own problems!

    James tells us that pure and faultless religion looks like that! It will cause us to care about those who can't care for themselves and may never be able to pay us back.

    The third illustration of what it looks like in real life to do what God says is also readily apparent in times of suffering on account of Jesus' name. In times of persecution, people want to look like everybody else. The last thing you want is to stand out like a sore thumb! If they could keep quiet about their faith, they could blend into the crowd and no one would know the difference. Maybe they could escape persecution.

    A religion that is valuable in God's sight will cause us to be different--to keep ourselves from environmental pollution by the world around us. James completes verse 27 with that thought: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

    A pastor was visiting a coal mining district. Coal dust was everywhere. It covered the buildings, trees, plants, everything. As he walked along he noticed a beautiful white flower. It's petals were pure. "The owner must take very special care of this plant."

    "Not really", said the foreman, taking a handful of dust and throwing it on the flower. As the dust fell off, and left the flower as stainless as ever, "this plant has an enamel which prevents the dust from clinging to it. It must have been created for a place like this!" God has made His people to resist the soot of pollution that is contaminating modern society, so that it won't cling to us either!

    A religion God accepts isn't conformed to the image of contemporary society. It doesn't look like everybody else! It's different. It's free from the environmental pollution of this world!

    This third modern parallel to James' illustrations asks a similar question about how we respond in the midst of adversity. When the pressure rises and hard times come, do we take a stand for godliness, regardless of the consequences? Or, do we go along with the crowd and blend in? It's easier to "go with the flow" and look like everybody else! As the old saying goes: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!"

    When your friends say to you, "you're not one of those religious types, are you?" Or, when your boss says to you, "I know that this report isn't exactly the truth, but I need you to sign it anyway." How do we react?

    Our doctrinal statement says that the Bible is the final authority for faith and life." It's the last word when it comes to what we teach and how we live. That's not a very popular position today. Our society is marching to the beat of a different drummer. Does our religion make a difference in the choices we make? If it doesn't make a difference, James says it's worthless.

    Listening to God's Word and doing what it says will keep us from "environmental pollution." It will keep us away from all the politically correct garbage that's contaminating our society.

    If God's Word has something to say about honesty and faithfulness; if it has something to say about adultery, about premarital sex, about practicing homosexuality; if it says something about abortions, about gambling, about honest business dealings and tax reports, about gossip, anger, and greed, then it ought to make us stand out as different in a world that is polluted by ungodliness!

    I don't expect the world to act as if it were God's people, but I do expect God's people to be different! Specifically, in the midst of hard times, when taking a stand for godliness could cost us everything, James says it ought to make a difference in the way we respond to those who seek to destroy us. A pure, faultless religion will cause us to be different--to keep ourselves from environmental pollution by the world.

    Chuck Swindoll invites us to join him in a game of "Let's Pretend!" Let's pretend you're my executive assistant in a rapidly growing company. I'm interested in expanding overseas. So I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until the new branch office gets established. I move to Europe and leave you in charge. Months pass. I send you letters from Europe and spell out my expectations. Finally, I return. As I drive to the office, I'm stunned by what I see! Grass and weeds have grown high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the lobby and the receptionist is doing her nails, chewing gum, and listening to her favorite disco station. The waste baskets are overflowing, the carpet hasn't been vacuumed for weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the boss is back. I ask where you are and someone in the lounge area points down the hall and yells, "I think he's down there." Disturbed, I move in that direction and find you finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office (which has been turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas).

    "What in the world is going on, man?"

    "What do ya' mean?"

    "Well, look at this place! Didn't you get my letters?" "Letters? Oh, yeah -- sure, got every one of them. As a matter of fact, we have letter study every Friday night. We've even divided all the personnel into small groups and discussed what you wrote. Some of those things were really interesting. You'll be pleased to know that a few of us have memorized some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two! Great stuff!

    "Okay, okay -- you got my letters, you studied them and meditated on them, discussed and even memorized them. But what did you DO about them?" "Do? Uh -- we didn't do anything about them."

    God is calling us to take a careful, contemplative look in His mirror, to see ourselves as He see us, and then to do something--to take appropriate steps to correct what we see!