Unlike the apostle Paul, James was no urbane man of letters. He was a simple, homespun preacher, perturbed at people who were not living love. His letter covers a wide range of topics, applying the Christian faith to specific problems, and commanding readers to live out their beliefs.
Be humble! James orders. Submit to God! Stop sinning! James is as forthright as an Old Testament prophet; it is hard to miss his point.
Modern readers of James face the same dilemma as the first recipients of this unsettling letter. His words are easy enough to understand, but hard to do. James forces us to look past the knowing of faith and to take a long look at the doing of faith. He asks the tough question, "What kind of love be seen in our lives?"
As Luther himself said, "You are saved by faith alone, but if faith is alone, it is not faith."
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1. Pure Love
James gives tangible examples for how we ought to live for Christ. We don’t do works for his love. We do works from HIs love.
God’s love is pure. His love is completely pure. The motive is pure. The effect is pure. Everything about it is right and good.
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2. What Good Is It?
How much help is a dead person to person in need?
A faith that never works is dead; a faith that only believes is demonic. Jesus' work for us leads to work in us and results in a work through us!
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3. How To Be Perfect
“We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” - James 3:2
James says that all we need to do to be perfect is to never be at fault in what we say. Easy right? No! We can’t do it. The reality is, we all stumble in our words. Where does this come from? It’s not our words that are the big issue. It’s really our hearts.
Our words come from the overflow of what’s inside our hearts. What comes out of our mouths is in the well of our hearts. When Jesus transforms our hearts, then it begins to be reflected by the words that we speak.
We may not be able to never stumble in what we say, but with Christ changing us from the inside, our words can begin to be a blessing.
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4. Candy Coated Christianity
In this sermon, Karsten, talks about the product Skittles Riddles, and how their colors don't match their flavors. Sometimes that's the same story for us in the church. We will say one thing, but do another.
Does your profession match your actions? Or are you really nothing more than Skittles Riddles?
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5. Camel Knees Of Faith
