WEBVTT 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:08.640 Hello, I'm Pastor Creighton, and thank you for tuning into Usan Churches Podcast. 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:15.359 We're a gospel center church in Port Perry, Ontario, proclaiming the true and life-giving word of Jesus as we love and serve our neighbors. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.239 May God bless you today through his life-giving word. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.879 The second lesson is James 1, verses 19 to 27. 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:28.160 Know this, my beloved brothers. 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:33.759 Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.840 For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:47.840 Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:54.240 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 00:00:54.479 --> 00:01:06.560 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, for he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:17.920 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres is no hearer, who forgets but a doer who acts. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:20.319 He will be blessed in his doings. 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:30.000 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:42.879 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. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:44.239 The word of the Lord. 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:52.959 Heavenly Father, we now come before you to hear you speak directly to our hearts and our minds through your word. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:02:04.799 Lord, um, just any distractions from this week, Lord, just take them away from us right now so we can hear clearly what you have to say to us. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:13.520 And Lord, um we pray that your gospel would grip our hearts more um dearly every day. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:15.680 And I pray it's in Jesus' name. 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:16.400 Amen. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.159 Please be seated. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:27.039 So I'm gonna ask for uh mercy right off the bat as we get into this because I'm gonna talk politics. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:33.680 I'm not I'm not gonna be up here telling you who to vote for or anything like that. 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:40.080 I just want to take them, take it as a as an illustration to move us into the into the sermon. 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:45.840 So I'm not here promoting anyone, I'm just um just reflecting on what happened on Monday. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:50.080 Because as we all know, um Trump was inaugurated. 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:55.840 I know I uh when I say his name, many people might check out immediately, but I'm not here, I'm not promoting him at all, okay? 00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:08.960 It's just I want to I just want to take one part of his speech that he said, because this is history, and we should um not shy away from history, we should talk about history, we should discuss history, but it's just one thing I want to say about his speech. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.919 And he called the day Liberation Day. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:16.400 And I'm not saying I'm up here saying he's promoting freedom, not any of that. 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:22.479 I'm just uh it's just something interesting to reflect on, this idea of Liberation Day or Freedom Day. 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:33.599 Because if at the same time, if the other party came into power, if Biden, or it would have been Camilla, came into power, she would have promoted this idea too of a certain kind of freedom. 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:42.639 See, the thing that's interesting about politics, when you break it all down, both sides promote a kind of freedom. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:52.479 But both sides promote this freedom through the censoring and the oppression of certain groups to elevate their platforms and their certain ideologies. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:58.080 And this has always been the case for politics, and it always will be the case for politics. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:02.159 I worked on The Hill in Ottawa for 10 years as a photographer. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:09.520 I've saw two parties come in, um, one party rise to power, then one party fall to power, then the next one rise to power. 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:12.719 And they both promised the exact same thing. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:23.680 They did different, did it in different wording, but they all promise a certain kind of freedom if you followed their ideology or if you followed their ideas or their platforms. 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:36.879 But the thing is, Western culture, the air that we breathe, is very um, it's full of narratives that promise freedom or a form of liberation. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:59.920 Whether it's the political party you follow, whether it's the certain items you buy or things of that nature, or the people you hang out with, or what you do, how you promote your body, it all promises this sense of liberation from your old self to become a new, better you, and you could live your best life now. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:14.480 A quick watch of um being on TV or on Amazon Prime or Netflix, have you bombarded with advertisements, and they all promise you certain ways of freedom through certain narratives. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:23.839 I remember this one time I was watching something, and this promotional video came up, and I knew the person who was in the advertisement, so I just watched it. 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:33.680 And through the advertisement, it showed him having the perfect family, the beautiful wife, the beautiful kids, everyone was having a good time in the backyard. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.680 All the in-laws and other families were there, and everyone was happy. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:44.160 And then he was also this buff guy, you know, nicely tanned, had tattoos, had the man bun, everything. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:46.480 He was the perfect man according to this. 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:52.879 And then, right at the end of the advertisement, it focuses onto the label of his pants. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:06:01.839 And he says that my pants, the company of his pants, my car hearts, are what helped me be a good man and a good family man. 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:03.439 That's that was the whole point of it. 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:08.240 And it lasted for about like four minutes, and then I turned off because I just couldn't believe what happened. 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:16.879 And here's the thing James is writing to Jewish Christians scattered amongst the surrounding area. 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:29.439 And they are facing persecution for their beliefs, they're facing suffering and isolation for their beliefs, they are being bombarded by narratives that offer freedom and a better life. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:38.319 If they go to this temple and worship this God, or if they go to this temple and worship this God, or if they don't believe in any gods, they'll be offered a better life. 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:49.439 And they are, majority of them are poor economically, and everyone around them seems to be enjoying life more and being just going through life better. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.480 And some of you might be feeling you can relate to this in some areas of your life. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:07:07.040 Maybe you've been open about your faith and you feel like you've faced a kind of persecution where you've been isolated, maybe you've just been called crazy, or you believe in a fairy tale or something like that, or you don't believe in science. 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.839 So how are we supposed to approach this? 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:17.199 If we are here and we say we're follow followers of Jesus, Jesus is our Lord and Savior, how are we to make sense of this? 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:21.120 Well, let's look to God's word, because we believe in God's word. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:26.480 So please turn to James in your bulletin, chapter one, if you have your Bible, chapter one, verses. 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:27.759 We're gonna start in 18. 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.480 I know that's not on the bulletin, but I'll just read it out loud. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:32.240 18 to 27. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:36.720 And we need to start in verse 18 to understand the flow of the letter. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:39.040 Because remember, this is a letter, this is a book. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.160 You can't just take parts of it and just go off that. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:48.399 You have to remember the whole flow of the narrative because it sets you up for the later part of the book. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.000 So I'm just gonna read it right now, verses 18 to 12. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:56.399 Um sorry, I'm already got lost in my notes very quickly. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:58.000 I'm gonna read it after. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.879 So, yeah, so we're just gonna go through that very quickly. 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:06.879 And the thing that's interesting about this book, you've heard myself and Creighton up here promote Martin Luther. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.279 We've quoted Martin Luther a bunch of times. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:10.959 He didn't like the book of James. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:12.079 He wasn't a fan of it. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:12.879 He didn't like it. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:19.839 And the reason why he didn't like it, because at the time, you've got to remember the context, he was breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:22.319 And he was starting the Reformation. 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:26.480 And he thought this book was a very Roman Catholic book. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:28.240 Well, that's not the case at all. 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:31.920 It was just his historical context, so he wanted to get away from it. 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:37.120 And then also other people say this book contradicts all of Paul's writings. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:42.080 Paul's very much about justification by faith, justification by faith. 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:48.480 But the thing is, when you do a closer reading of James, it's actually not saying that at all. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.679 It's very much promoting you are justified by faith. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.799 And we're gonna flesh that out through this sermon now. 00:08:54.960 --> 00:09:01.360 And we're gonna do this with the headline: True Liberation Leads into Willing Obedience. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:02.639 I'll say it again. 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:06.480 True liberation leads into willing obedience. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:16.159 And we're gonna do this very practically with three practical points: how to listen, how to be a doer, and what does it look like? 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:20.879 So true liberation leads to willing obedience. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:23.120 Verses 18 to 21. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:38.399 God of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:52.799 Know this, my beloved brothers and sisters, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:10:03.519 Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:13.840 Now the first thing we can take from these verses, this section, is that it's all through God's working within us, that it's been freely given to us. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:19.600 Verse 18 says, God of his own will brought us forth by the word of truth. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:27.120 And then it says in verse 21, the implanted word within you will save your soul. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:41.519 See, we remember now that we talked about in Galatians what Paul was writing about justification by faith, that this book written before Paul's letters complements Paul's theology of justified by faith. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:57.840 It's saying here right off the bat, before James goes into the section of listening and doing, it's he's reminding his readers that you've been justified, and through that justification you are saved, but you're not, it doesn't just stop there. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.159 We need to follow God's word. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.279 And that's what James is going into here. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:10.000 And we need to view ourselves through this lens as we read God's word, that you are saved through faith. 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:15.360 But now let's you now you need to focus on what that faith is fleshed out in. 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:24.240 Because James says in verses uh in chapter 2, verse 17, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:28.320 And he says that, and that we'll talk about that in the next sermons. 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:30.080 But just picture this. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:38.000 Imagine someone who says, I believe I'm a doctor, but doesn't do any of the schooling to become a doctor. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:40.000 Would you go to them? 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:42.559 Would you believe they're a true doctor? 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:49.679 Or think of another person who says, I believe I'm a lifeguard, but he actually doesn't know how to swim. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:52.720 Would you believe, would you believe they're a lifeguard? 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.879 Would you want them being guarding the beach that you go to where your kids swim? 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:57.759 Would you want that? 00:11:58.080 --> 00:11:58.399 No. 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:00.639 And that's the same thing. 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:06.960 When you become a Christian, you have to do, in a sense, you gotta do the work, in a sense. 00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:10.799 But you always have to remember that that that doesn't make you right with God. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.879 You're already made right with God through Jesus' work on the cross. 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:19.840 It's it's uh something that's fleshed out in our Christian walk as we go. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.759 So, how do we learn what to do as being Christians? 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:30.159 Well, that's the second thing we see in this section is that we need to learn to listen to God's word. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:36.000 Now remember, Jesus or James is writing to Christians who are being put through the ringer. 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:39.759 They're facing many different trials and suffering. 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.360 They're being squeezed and oppressed. 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.919 They're going through many different things. 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:53.759 And he's saying to them, be quick to hear, be slow to speak, be slow to anger. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:13:05.440 And now that's something we all know if we go through certain things in our lives, certain things that maybe well up our anger and well up certain feelings, that's easier said than done. 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:12.639 It is very hard to be slow to speak and slow to anger, and it can be very hard to be quick to hear. 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:18.000 Normally we're not quick to hear, and normally we're quick to speak and we're quick to be angry. 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:24.879 But the thing is, what James is pointing to here is that it produces the righteousness of God. 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:30.000 And other translations say that God, the righteousness that God desires. 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:38.559 See, the thing is, I'm sure you've heard this illustration before, that a diamond, a diamond is formed not right away. 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:44.480 It takes years upon years upon years for it to form into a beautiful piece of rock. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:51.440 And it's through the constant pressure of the land, pushing against it, that creates this form of diamond. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:53.840 And that's the sense of Christian life. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:58.879 That as you walk the Christian life, there's gonna be many trials that you go through. 00:13:59.039 --> 00:14:00.799 Just life, life is hard. 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:03.679 There's hard things in life that we have to go through. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:14.000 But it's how you react to them that produces this sense of holiness within you, your the righteousness that God wants to see within you. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:20.320 It's through his word, when you reflect on his word, it's it it works within you. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:24.639 The Christian life is one of slow listening to God's word. 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:30.240 And the Proverbs, we just recently went through some Proverbs, talks about this. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:34.559 That the one who is slow to speak has is full of wisdom. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:40.480 It even says the one who's a fool but is slow to speak will appear as being wise. 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:42.399 It even says that in Proverbs. 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:51.360 There's something about being slow to speak and slow to anger, but being quick to listen, to listen to God's word, let it work within you. 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:59.039 But the thing is, the thing is, we don't get to know someone without listening as well. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:03.600 There's no way to have a friendship without meeting with them and listening to them. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:09.440 And they may have different views than you, but it's about not overreacting, it's about just listening. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:22.399 See, God's word sometimes really pushes on us and puts us and almost feels unc we feel uncomfortable, but we need to slowly listen to God's word as his spirit works within us. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:26.960 By but before being doers, we must listen to God's word. 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:35.679 And then the third thing we see from this first section, James says, put away all filthiness and rampant whisk wickedness. 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:46.639 See this idea of put away, it's this idea of it's like when you take off your jacket and you put it in the closet, and then maybe you put on a house robe or something like that. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:55.600 He's talking about you need to put off your old self, your old ways of doing things, and put on the new self of Jesus. 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:58.960 Put on Jesus like you're justified by faith. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:08.159 You need to put take off the old self and put on the new self, to take it off and put on the new self, because that is how you save your souls. 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:15.759 It's if you become, say you believe in Jesus, but then nothing changes, how is that how does that save your souls? 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:17.600 That's what James is getting at here. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.600 See, true liberation leads to willing obedience. 00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:24.480 And then point two, how to be doers. 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:31.840 See, James now moves into the thrust of his argument, the big thrust of it, the big um idea he has. 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:38.639 And this is just setting up the next part of the book because he goes really more into detail about it in the next part. 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:44.720 He's saying, if you only listen and never change, you're not truly saved. 00:16:45.120 --> 00:17:01.120 See, marriage, if you think of a marriage relationship, if the one spouse only listens, but and then the spouse, maybe they're in an argument, or maybe there um something's going on, and they only listen but they never change, that will affect the marriage. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:08.480 Or if the spouse is always just doing things, but they never listen to the spouse, that will also affect the marriage. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:15.039 I think a good illustration is uh maybe your spouse asks you to go get milk and then you just clean the kitchen. 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:16.319 Did you actually listen? 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:20.240 You did something positive, but did you actually listen to your spouse? 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:21.680 So you need to have both. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:26.559 You need the listening and the doing to walk the Christian life. 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:36.319 And you can be a good listener of the word, know all the answers, know all the up-to-date theology, but never be a doer and not be saved. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:43.920 You can also be a doer of the word, but never truly listen to God, to God's word, and never be saved. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:45.920 So you must have both. 00:17:46.319 --> 00:17:50.640 Now look at what James says next, verses 22 to 25. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:57.200 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:05.039 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. 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:10.480 For he looks at himself and goes away at once, and at once forgets what he is like. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:22.079 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. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:29.599 Something that's so nice about James in his letter is that he has constant illustrations. 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:31.279 I find that so helpful. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:35.519 In the last section, there's illustration being tossed to and fro. 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:38.640 This section has a man who looks in the mirror. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:44.079 Later on, there's um the tongue is um illustrated as a rudder of a boat. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.559 It's so helpful to have illustrations. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.200 And the idea of a mirror, think of the mirror. 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:54.000 Um, I'm sure most of us here have a mirror at the front door, or a mirror somewhere in the house. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:19:05.200 That before you go somewhere where you know you need to be put together, you go check the mirror to make sure everything's okay or you don't have ketchup on your shirt or something like that, because it happens to me sometimes. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:07.839 And then if you see that, you'll go fix it. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:09.279 You won't just leave the house. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:10.319 You'll fix it. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:19.519 So that's the idea here that James is trying to get at is that the mirror illustrates where do you find your moral teaching? 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:26.240 Do you find your moral teaching in yourself, in your own self-identity, in your own self-ideas? 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:31.759 Do you find your moral teaching in the world, or do you find your moral teaching in God's word? 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:43.039 See, we read a portion of um the Matthew's gospel during the scripture reading times, and I just want to reflect on that very briefly here. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:56.720 Because in Matthew chapter 13, he gives it Jesus gives the illustration of the sower going out and sowing seeds, and some falls on rocky ground, other falls on good soil. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.799 And what is he talking about here? 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:00.400 What is the seed? 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:02.640 The seed is the word of God. 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:14.079 And what his illustration is that the the word of God working through the person, because this is what he says, because Jesus explains the parable to his disciples, disciples, like right right after. 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:16.960 He says, Hear then the parable of the sower. 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:27.039 When anyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:30.079 This is what was sown along the path. 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:37.680 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:48.640 Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation and persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:21:01.920 And as for what he has and as for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:08.640 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:16.319 He indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:28.480 What Jesus is getting at here is it's showing that the word that takes root in the person and produces fruit works, is actually the one who truly follows the word. 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:42.400 And that's what James is referring to here in the mirror is that the person who uses the word to find their moral teaching is the one who will truly walk the Christian life, and is listening and is the one that's doing. 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:59.839 Because in verse 25, James writes that the one who looks is the one who's reading and listening, the one who perseveres is the one who uses God's words through trials, and the one who is a doer is the one who acts on God's words. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.799 Word. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:10.799 See, when we read God's word, when we have it open before us at home or in a group, what it's doing is it's pointing back at us like a mirror. 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:25.039 It shows us areas in our lives that we need to give to God, to ask God to bring the Spirit within us to work in our lives, to give up these things maybe we cling to that hinder our walk with Him. 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:37.359 But more importantly, it reminds us that Jesus went to the cross for us before we start changing the things in our lives, that we are already saved. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:39.519 We are already justified by faith. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:48.160 Because that is the most important thing to remember, because it so quickly can go the other way where we think we have to do all these things to be right with God. 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:52.559 But we're already right with God through Jesus, so we do these things. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:58.799 Because he continues in verse 25 when he says the perfect law, the law of liberty. 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:06.079 What he's talking about here, when he refers law, because he is Jewish Christians, he's writing to, he's referring to the Moses law. 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:13.440 He's making them remember this law that was imposed by Moses through God that was impossible to keep. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:14.960 It was impossible. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:18.079 No one could do it, no one was righteous by it. 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:26.079 And then the law of liberty is Jesus coming in and perfecting the law of anyone who puts their faith and trust in him. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:28.960 The moral law is impossible to do perfectly. 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:32.079 It shows us our need, that we need to be liberated. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:37.200 And we're liberated through Jesus' work, dying on the cross and raising from the dead. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:44.480 His spirit enters into us, because true liberation leads to willing obedience. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.720 Now, what does it look like? 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:49.039 Verses 26 to 27. 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:58.720 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:09.920 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unstained from the world. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:11.920 Controlled speech. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:15.920 The Bible is very concerned with how we talk. 00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:18.960 And this isn't a sense of censoring us. 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:32.079 This is a sense of that it's concerned that we're not tearing people down, that we're not doing, we're not talking in a way that doesn't represent who we say we follow correctly. 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:34.400 That's what it's concerned about. 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:41.119 And then it talked, then James goes on to talk about the oppressed and the poor, the widow and the orphan. 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:46.640 The widow and the orphan in James's time were people who cannot take care of themselves at all. 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:48.960 Society was completely against them. 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:53.359 They could not work, they could not provide for themselves, they were shunned. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:59.279 And we, as Christians, are called to go out and find these people and take care of them. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.279 We did an excellent job with the community care project. 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:08.960 That is a great way that us as a church can go out and care for those in need. 00:25:09.599 --> 00:25:11.839 It represents Christ properly. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.279 And then it talks about unstained from the world. 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:19.119 Now, in our mind we can think of many things that come up. 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:25.440 And the thing is, when we read God's word, it speaks to us individually about things we need to give to God. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:33.279 But James here is talking about economic indifference because in the next section that Creighton will talk about next week, it goes into that. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:40.640 That the rich people are judging the poor people, and the poor people are judging the rich people, and they're being divided. 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:55.039 See, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus, you we come together as a family, and we all come from different walks of life, different economic situations, but we come together as equals, justified through Jesus. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:25:58.880 See, the gospel is like this. 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:05.039 See, we live in a world that says you can have true freedom in your own self-determined way. 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:10.480 And then we also live in a world where you can it says you can have true freedom if you follow these rules. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:14.400 But the gospel says you're already free through Jesus' work on the cross. 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:17.119 You are a child of God saved by grace. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:20.880 True liberation leads to willing obedience. 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:24.240 So you're liberated by faith in the cross and Jesus. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:32.400 You listen to God's word, and you be doers of God's word through loving obedience because you know how much God loves you. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:44.799 Sam Alberry, in his commentary on James, he says this obedience to God's word is never simply mandated, nor vaguely beneficial. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:46.400 It's transformational. 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:54.720 Following God's word changes us, but it changes us from the inward out, not from the outward in. 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:56.799 And let's pray. 00:26:57.759 --> 00:27:21.920 Heavenly Father, give you thanks and praise for your word, how your word is freely given to us, how it is um, we are so privileged to have your word so readily available to us, and so readily available to us, how there's other areas in the world who only have access to scraps of certain parts of the books of the Bible, or they don't have access at all. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:39.039 Lord, we pray that your word would work slowly in our lives, that we would give up ourselves to follow Jesus daily, that we would take off our old lives and put on the new life of following Christ. 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:52.240 Lord, help us to um when we feel like maybe we've messed up, help us to call out to you to repent and then to move on, knowing that we are always justified through Jesus. 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:54.480 And I pray us in Jesus' name. 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.440 Amen. 00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:59.599 We hope that you've been blessed by God's word today. 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:05.119 If you live in the Port Perry area, we hope that you'll come and worship with us in person on Sunday at 10 a.m. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:08.799 If you'd like to learn more about Newsong Church, we'd love to connect with you. 00:28:09.039 --> 00:28:13.839 Please find our contact information at newsongportperry.ca and reach out to us. 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:19.279 Newsong's ministry is entirely funded by the generous giving of those who worship and journey with us. 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:27.599 If you feel called to support our ministry with a financial gift, please go to newsongportperry.ca slash giving to make your contribution. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:30.559 Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.