6-8-2025    Do we live what we preach?

   

At Wellspring of Life (church I attend), all of the month of May, we talked about ‘watch what comes out of our mouth’.  In today’s church, how many times have we heard people say “I don’t go do hat church because they don’t do what they preach”?

Shall we get ‘things’ into perspective?

James 2:1-26

1          My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2          For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3          And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4          Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

 

Do we respect another person’s status in life?  Do we gladly receive one who seems to be doing well in life but a poor man we try to hide in the background?  Have we learned to judge a man’s character simply by how he looks?

 

5          Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

 

Has God not selected those who are faithful to His Word and Will to be heirs to His kingdom?

 

6          But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

 

Do we judge a man’s character?  By the way he looks?  And even though those well-dressed, well-to-do people may treat us as nothing, Unfortunately, yes we do, all too often.

 

7          Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

 

When we act like hypocrites, don’t we put a ‘black mark’, one strike, against the name of Jesus? God judges our heart and not our presence (1 Sam. 16:7).  Shouldn’t we do the same?  Genesis through Revelation God shows that He judges us by our heart because as a man’s heart is, so shall he do (Prov. 16:9).  We need to let the Holy Ghost guide our course of action as we deal with others.

 

8          If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

9          But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

10        For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11        For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if you thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 

 

Any man who sins, he sins against the law (1 John 3:6).  When we transgress even just one point of the law we transgress the whole law (James 2:9-10).  As we love our neighbor as ourselves, we do good but when we judge another just by his looks, we transgress the law because we have passed a judgment of the worthiness of that other person.  If we commit adultery, we sin and the law convicts us of our actions.  Transgressing one point of the law makes us transgressors of the whole law

 

12        So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

13        For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.  Are we getting the picture?

 

As Christians, we do our best to do and say as the Holy Ghost directs. When a Christian breaks any commandment, he suffers the same as a sinner unless he repents.  Let our words and actions be consistent and we shall enjoy God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

 

14        What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?

15        If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16        And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17        Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18        Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

 

Doing good works alone won’t get us into eternal life with Jesus, but we show others that the love of Christ is in us because of how we treat them.  Through the works we do.

 

19        Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

 

The devil and his angels know God is because it is God who ‘licked’ them out of heaven (Rev. 12:9 , Luke 10:18).  For more info read Ezek. 28:1-19 and Daniel 14:4-22.  Tyrus and Babylon ae cities over which Satan had rule and these passages declare the nature of Satan.

 

20        But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21        Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22        Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23        And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24        Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25        Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26        For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 

Understand Abraham: Isaac was the son God promised Abraham and yet asked Abraham to sacrifice his only begotten son (of Sarah, not Hagar).  Abraham was obedient to the Lord but God stopped him and put a ram the lad’s place.  Abraham believed God who gave the promise, Who tested Abraham’s faithfulness and delivered the boy from harm. 

 

Works don’t save us, but as we do the works with all our heart.  Our faith shall be seen through those works and souls shall be drawn unto the Lord.  Consider the leper (Mark 1:40), the centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10), or the woman with the issue of blood “If I can but touch His garment I can be made whole Matt. 9:20-22), each believed that their requests would be fulfilled through the ‘works’ which Jesus did.  and Jesus said “your faith has made  you whole (Matt. 9:22, Luke 17:19).

 

But our faith can move mountains,  even though it be as mall as the grain of a mustard seed … nothing shall be impossible to you (through faith) (Matt. 17:20).

How can people know that we are the Lord’s unless we tell them.  How can they know that we speak the truth unless we show them.  And how can we show them unless we believe?  Does our body follow what our mouth says and show Father’s agape love in us?

How we treat others is a reflection of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Amen