Christmas Beyond the Pattern Greg Boyd Sermon Transcript 2011

Source: http://whchurch.org/blog/5449/christmas-beyond-the-pattern

Date: December 04, 2011

Speaker: Greg Boyd

Title: Christmas Beyond the Pattern

 

Introduction

The pattern of Christmas is to buy gifts for people that usually are not needed items. In this sermon, we look at the book of James and how faith must be found in our actions to the poorest of the poor, and an alternative to the usual pattern of Christmas is given.

 

 

 

Christmas Beyond the Pattern

We will get back to the book of Colossians for sure, but just not yet. We’re going to do a little Christmas special here through his brother’s eyes and we’re referring to James, the brother of Jesus. So we’re going to look at James and pull out every week some nuggets from that book that had to do with Christmas… that had to do with a Kingdom-perspective on Christmas. Then for the next 3 weeks as we’re going through this book, we’ll be bringing up this campaign “Making Space in Our Lives,” making space in our radar screens in our hearts, in our minds, in our wallets, and in this building to serve the homeless and the poor – “Making Space.”

If you had been part of this congregation for more than a few years, you probably have noticed this: God has really been moving us as a congregation in this direction for sometime, in the direction of really making caring for and serving the poor and the homeless, one of our highest priorities. Because as the video showed, you can’t read the Bible and miss that point. Over 600 specific references where God tells us (God tells his people) to care for those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and who are under-resourced. And so we really felt a strong move going in that direction… and this is kind of part of that. In fact, I’ll say more about this in the months to come but there are some really exciting things coming down the pipe on this. Because in the twin cities like many of the cities in the United States, poverty has sky-rocketed… homelessness has sky-rocketed.

Recession has hit us very very hard. Because of that, there are a lot of folks who have been thinking outside the box, folks in service organizations, folks in churches, folks in ministries… thinking to come together to work to serve this population and to make a significant impact. And so there’s a lot of discussions that have been going on. I’m happy to tell you that Woodland Hills Church has been at the center of a lot of those discussions. In fact, we’ve hosted a number of those discussions calling people from different organizations and stuff to come together and to brainstorm, and ask the question, “How can we partner with one another instead of working in silos? How can we partner together and pool our time, our resources, and our talents and serve this population? How can we transform this building into something that will serve the poor?” We’ve got one hundred thousand square feet over there that aren’t being used. And so we’re having all these kinds of discussions.

Out of these discussions, a vision has sort of arisen… some very cool, exciting, and huge stuff has surfaced. And there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, challenges to face, and a lot of hoops to jump through. It takes a lot of time but it has a lot of excitement and energy being generated by a lot of different people around us. And so keep that as a matter of prayer if you will that we really would step into all that God is calling us to step into. It’s really exciting. This “Making Space” Campaign is a little baby-step in that direction. We just kind of keep moving in that direction and there’s going to be more to come. Jesus told us that if we are faithful in little then we will be faithful in much… Amen. I want the “much” but first we got to be faithful in the “little” so I encourage all of us to step up and to participate as much as you are able to.

I want to be clear in something and that we are challenging you in this campaign to give over and above your normal giving. We’re not saying that, “Divert your giving to the church to this cause.” We’re saying over and beyond what you normally give, make this a priority. What we’re challenging you to do is as you’re shopping for Christmas stuff, make space on your radar screen for the poor and the homeless… the group of people that are so easy to forget about. It’s kind of crazy that a lot of us stress trying to figure out what to buy somebody because they don’t need it. That’s our stress and yet all around us there are folks who are in desperate need. What’s wrong with this picture? I mean, Kingdom-people… we’ve got to have a Kingdom-perspective on this. I saw and heard on the news last week that the average person (the average American) will spend over $750 in presents this year. And I guarantee that 90% of that is on stuff that people don’t need. More than 90% perhaps… that’s why people have stress trying to find out what we’re going to give somebody.

We’re just saying, “Seek God’s will about that. Try giving some of that (whatever you giving on Christmas presents), some of that, to folks who really do need stuff. Uncle Joe who is already 58 pounds overweight doesn’t need that basket of fruit and candy that you give him. A $50 basket… he doesn’t need that but there’s a family who desperately does. And so we’re encouraging you to really seek and consider giving it to the people who really do need it. And if you need to explain to Uncle Joe why you didn’t give him a present this year, explain that. Uncle Joe would probably understand that. If he doesn’t then help him understand. And in fact probably what Uncle Joe is going to give you, you don’t need either. So why don’t you say, “Hey Uncle Joe, instead of giving it to me, why don’t you give it to the ‘Making Space’ Campaign.” And that would bring Uncle Joe into more Kingdom-thinking as well.

Just seek God about this and respond accordingly. Some might think it’s rather unwise on our part to be giving/ raising money for folks outside the church when the church itself is kind of in financial straits. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it recently but if you read the bulletin even this morning you’ll see this: We’ve taken a hit this fall financially. In the last 13 weeks, we hit budget once. That’s why I want to be clear don’t divert your giving to the cause rather than over and beyond your regular giving. And honestly if we don’t have a really healthy December, we’re going to be looking at a real financial crisis. And so we’re encouraging you to give to the church as well. But some may think it’s unwise then to be raising money for outside causes when you yourself are in financial hard times. Because even if you encourage folks not to divert funds, some may inevitably do that. But see here’s the thing: In the normal way of thinking in this world, you first take care of yourself (me and my own) and then if you have leftovers, you give them away. That’s the normal way of doing things.

But that’s not the Kingdom-way of doing things. Am I right? That’s not how the Kingdom thinks. In the Kingdom, we (right from the gecko) are looking at sharing. We live in that. In fact in the Kingdom, the whole divide between us and them falls apart because there is no “us” and “them.” In the Kingdom, those are our brothers and sisters that are hungry… those are our brothers and sisters that are homeless. And so right from the gecko we are asking, “How do we help and serve?” That’s what the Kingdom is all about. The Kingdom is about sacrifice… AMEN! (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION APPLAUD) And the beautiful thing about sacrifice is about living in sacrificial love. Loving like Christ does which involves a sacrifice. And the wonderful thing about sacrifice is you can do it anytime. You can do it when things are going well. And you can do it when you’re in financial hardship because it’s not how much you give, but it’s how much it hurts to give. That’s the sacrifice and we’re to be living in that. So let’s sacrifice for all the causes of the Kingdom and the ministry but also helping the homeless and the poor.

Alright! So we’re doing this series on James. Christmas through his brother’s eyes and I want to entitle this message: Christmas Beyond the Pattern (or Christmas Beyond the Normal Pattern… the normal pattern of doing Christmas.) Let’s look at the first book of James. This is how he introduces himself JAMES 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…

He’s the younger brother of Jesus and here he is calling him “Lord.” I think it will help in this series to spend a moment getting inside the mind of James, the younger brother of Jesus. What would it had been like to grow up as the little brother of the Son of God. (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION GIGGLE.) Some of you may even be thinking, “It’s wonderful! It’s such a blessing to be hanging out with Jesus most of the time.” But I suspect NOT. What was it like to grow up as a younger brother of Jesus Christ. I’ve always had a heart for James.

I grew up under the shadow of a brother who is in many respects, larger than life. He’s a great guy… a wonderful guy, Chris, I love him. But he just happens to be good at a lot of stuff and I grew up under that. He was a football star, a jock… in all respect a high school star in hockey and baseball. But football was his main “gig” and he just excels in that. Several times he had his picture in the sports section of the paper, sometimes with captions like, “Can anyone stop Chris Boyd?” I mean this guy was good. He was just a superstar. Our living was lined wall to wall with his trophies. “I have two in the corner there… I think I was given the compassion.” I wasn’t bad at sports. I just wasn’t him.

He was good. He never got to any serious trouble. He’s a son that makes his father proud. He’s the kind of son that a father likes to put up as a trophy case. He never gets in serious trouble. He’s just that. I… NOT SO MUCH. I kind of went down a different path. In fact as it often happens I think with kids who are raised with older siblings who are “Superstars” and larger than life, it can sometimes push you in a different direction – the Opposite Direction. So my life kind of took a different trajectory I think if someone would have given me a philosophy book at 11 or 12 years old, my life could have taken a different course because when I discovered Philosophy at the age of 16, it completely transformed my life. It completely turned me around. But in our household, my Dad wasn’t against academics. He wanted us to be good in that but it wasn’t at the forefront. Guys were supposed to be in sports. That’s how you got points with Dad. And unfortunately, that slot was already filled up with Chris.

I just couldn’t ever attain that and so my life kind of went in a different direction. I was the son that got expelled from school several times, once for setting a teacher on fire. (THE CONGREGATION LAUGHS.) Actually, I didn’t do it. I did toss the liquid on the guy but then my friend threw the match and I……. (THE CONGREGATION LAUGHS AGAIN.) It was bad. But that thing never happened to Chris. I was the son who got caught shoplifting but that never happened to Chris. I was the son who was always in trouble. I was the son who hung out with the rock band and in the wrong crowd and got into drugs (and all that kind of stuff) but that never happened to Chris.

It’s not easy growing up in the shadow of somebody who’s larger than life. What would it had been like for James? Now think about this: It must have been (I would think) terrible!!! Big brother Jesus… oh Big brother Jesus, he never gets into trouble. (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION LAUGH.) Big brother Jesus… you’re talking about “do-gooder” man! Big brother Jesus… he never swears even if he hit his thumb with a hammer. (He just blesses the Father.) OR maybe he goes, “Myself! Me!!!” (THE CONGREGATION APPLAUDS) But that’s not kind of swearing because his name IS Jesus Christ.

What would it be like growing up under the shadow of Big brother Jesus? He just always studies the Torah all the time and he’s got the whole thing memorized. Big brother Jesus… he’s always “Wowing” his instructors and the rabbis. Big brother Jesus… he’s just up there – a Superstar and the Son of God. It must have been terrible growing up in the shadows of that. Add to that family-talk sometimes about the Jesus’ birth while eating supper. “Remember when Big brother Jesus was born, man, angels appeared all over the place.” (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION LAUGH.) James was thinking, “There weren’t any angels when I was born. And when Big brother Jesus was born, wise men came from the east but no dignitaries came to my birth. When Big brother Jesus was born, he fulfilled prophesies of the Old Testament but no one even remembers my birthday. Big brother Jesus… when he was born he was so important, the mighty Herod tried to kill him but my birth didn’t get to the newspapers or things like that.” It must have been terrible growing up in that kind of environment.

And then consider this, (I mean I can see how James can be resentful but in any case add to that this): We have early sources that tell us that Joseph died before Jesus started his ministry which explains why we don’t hear about Joseph after Jesus was 12 years old. We read about Mary but we never read about Joseph or find out anything about Joseph, and there’s a tradition that holds he died before Jesus and the ministry. We also have early sources that tell us that Jesus had five other younger brothers and sisters besides James so there were seven in all (seven kids in all) which was pretty typical for a Jewish family in the First Century. Now in Jewish culture, it was the job of the eldest brother… if the father died, the eldest brother was to fulfill those shoes and step into that role. So the eldest brother was to care for the widowed mother, the eldest brother was to take care of the kids, and the eldest brother was to go out and support the family. So Jesus was the eldest and he was supposed to fulfill that role but what did Jesus do? He abandons the family. From James’ perspective, he all of a sudden walks out. And he’s out there in the hillside doing his stuff and telling everyone that he’s the “Son of God.”

Who takes care of the family? Now that would fall on James. There had to be some resentment there and remember in the First Century Jewish culture, this is a peasant family, OK. They were under Roman oppression. They would have been dirt poor and it’s a culture that you don’t have any kind of safety nets. You don’t have homeless shelter, food stamps, welfare programs, and things like that. If there’s someone out there weren’t to bring in the bacon, they wouldn’t have any bacon to eat. And so that’s would all fall on James’ shoulders. I can easily understand how this guy could have had a lot of resentment. In fact it was not surprising to me that the gospels depicted, James was not a follower of Jesus during his lifetime. He wasn’t a disciple of Jesus and I can understand why. Believing that your brother is the Son of God would have been the hardest thing in the world if you had to grow up under the shadows of a person who casts a larger than life shadow as that. He wasn’t a believer during Jesus’ ministry and yet here we find this verse, James 1:1.” We read it:

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…

Here James is (after the resurrection)… James becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ. He calls his older brother “Lord” here. It doesn’t even mention that he’s the younger brother because that relationship (that natural sibling relationship) now is inconsequential in the light of the fact that James knows that this older brother of his was Lord… “Curis” (GREG PRONOUNCED IT “kuh-YOU-ris”) in Greek. This was light the term that was used for “Yahweh.” His older brother is Yahweh embodied, and in the light of that, his being the younger brother becomes inconsequential. It raises the issue of what could have convinced James. Now think about this: He wasn’t a follower in Jesus’ lifetime but he is afterwards. And what convinced James was the resurrection. He tells us and we find in 1st Corinthians that James was one of the ones to whom Jesus appeared. And so the question you got to ask yourself is this, “If the resurrection didn’t happen, what would explain James’ conversion?” I think it’s not only proof of the resurrection but the truthfulness of the whole gospel. The very fact that James and the mother of Jesus are in the congregation of those who believe in Jesus and call him Lord, that itself shows you that we’re not talking about some legend here… a legend that is long long ago and far far away… once upon a time… there’s a lot of those in the ancient world but Jesus can’t be one of those. Why? Because this isn’t a story about a guy who lived a long long time ago far far away. This is a guy who has lived in the recent past. His brother is right here and his brother is a follower. And then the question you got to ask yourself is this, “If the gospel is just full of tales and legends and the miracle stories didn’t really happen and the resurrection didn’t really happen, well then how could you explain James’ conversion?” If those stories were legendary, not only would James would not be a follower of Jesus… if those stories were legends, then James (I submit to you) would have been the main opponents of Christianity. He would have been against this.

As the legends are being passed on, he would have been saying, “No way did that happen! I remember the guy. I know the guy. It didn’t happen!” It was like one time when I was in high school, I was walking down the hall. There was this cute little group of girls (cheerleader types) yapping on and on and on about my brother. They were all talking about, “Did you hear that Chris scored five touchdowns last night in playing down Saint Paul… five touchdowns!” I heard that as I was walking by and I projected myself into that little circle and I said, “No! It was only four. He didn’t score five. It was four.” (THE CONGREGATION LAUGHS.) And I immediately was embarrassed because I’m so petty and so jealous but I couldn’t help myself. It was like, “No! It was bad enough!! It was four!!!” That was when the morning headline was “Can Anyone Stop Chris Boyd?”

But see, that’s what you’d expect from a younger brother who grew up in the shadows of this guy. If they’re telling stories that aren’t true, it was like saying, “No! It didn’t happen like that. Jesus fed five thousand people multiplying loaves and fishes. Come on! He just shared his lunch with a couple of people. (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION LAUGH.) Walking on the water… give me a break! It must have been a sandbar… you know. Raised from the dead? No! He wasn’t dead. He was only mostly dead. He wasn’t really dead.” You see, that’s what you’d expect. The fact that James doesn’t do that… the fact that James buys this (submits his life to his older brother as Lord) is pretty good evidence that in fact this stuff really happened the way they said it happened. And so the question I’d like ask to anyone listening to this in this auditorium or in podcasts or maybe if you have a loved one who’s a skeptic. If you’re not a convinced believer, think about this: If this evidence was strong enough to convince the younger brother that his older brother was in fact Lord God almighty, how can it not be strong enough to convince you? How can it not be strong enough to convince you? Just chew on that a little bit and I encourage you if you’re not a convinced believer that you seriously take this into consideration and do what James did, and bow your knee to Jesus Christ as Lord God Almighty… Amen! Amen… Amen.

But I wonder we can’t see it reflected in this epistle this letter that James wrote something of his life growing under Jesus. We don’t see here something reflected of the fact that he was part of a family that was dirt-poor and the circumstances that surrounded it. Nowhere in the Bible do you find a greater concentrated emphasis on caring for widows like his mother and on orphans. Nowhere do you find a greater emphasis, I mean you find the emphasis throughout the Bible but here it’s concentrated on the responsibility on people who have means, who are wealthy (comparatively wealthy) and the responsibility that they have to care for the poor. James is all about that. And nowhere do you find in the Bible a greater emphasis on the need for faith to be translated into action. James is all about this. We see this reflected in this passage I want us to know and I want to spend the next 15 minutes preaching on this passage, James Chapter 1 Verses 22-27. Let’s listen to this. Holy Spirit, open our hearts and our minds to receive this:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like.

That’s odd?!

But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

By the way, the word “religion” as James uses it (we use it in a negative way today) but it just means “spirituality.” Spirituality that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is

Religion (Spirituality) 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.

Uhm, uhm. James here… there are three points I want to make on this passage.

First, James emphasizes that we can’t just be hearers of the word. We’re to be doers of the word and if we’re just here hearers of the word, then we’re deceiving ourselves. We’re kidding ourselves. What he’s saying is that the purpose for hearing the word is to do it. Hearing the word (he’s saying) is not an end in itself. Its function is to create doers – people who live differently… to have transformed lives. So if we think we’re doing something distinctly Kingdom just by hearing the word, we’re deceiving ourselves. If we think that hearing itself, that itself is the Kingdom then we’re deceiving ourselves. It’s got to be translated into action.

I will confess to you this morning that I, as I was meditating on this passage, we came under some conviction. I mean part of my calling is to study the word and to share the word, and be a teacher, but because of that I think I have a tendency to think that just reading the Bible and studying the Bible is an end in itself. It is a distinctly Kingdom thing. In my case, it is because I’m called to do that. If I’m honest with you, and I always try to be honest with you, what I have to admit is that while I was meditating on this passage this week, I think I cut myself slack in other areas because of that like, “I’ve already done my part. I’ve already studied the word.” I’m into it more than most people so I slack in other areas when in fact the reality is, I’m called as much as any other person is called to live the life of the word and so it was really a convicting moment for me.

But I don’t think I’m alone in this, honestly. This passage (this message), if we take it seriously, I think indicts a lot of American Christianity, honestly. As I look at the train, the religious train out there, what I see is a culture (a religious culture) that in some ways conditions us to think that hearing the word is an end in itself. Or reading the Bible or talking about the Kingdom is an end in itself. That is the Kingdom… to talk about the Kingdom… to hear about the Kingdom, that is the Kingdom. What James is saying, “It’s NOT! As I look at the religion of the land, what I see is that for a lot of folks, the only distinctive Kingdom thing about their lives is that they go to church and all other respects just reflects the culture of America. In fact for a a lot of people, what is means to be a Christian is that you go to church and hear a sermon. That’s what it means. “Are you a Christian?” “Yes. I go to church and hear a sermon,” as though that’s the point of everything like “That’s what the Kingdom is!” as though God became a human being and died on the cross so that people could go to church and hear a sermon. And the most discouraging thing is that there’s a lot of studies out there now, a lot of research has been done that suggests that all the sermons… we’ve got a religion that’s focused on information gathering… we hear, we study, and we get all that. We think that it’s an end in itself. But what’s really discouraging is that there’s a lot of evident that indicates that “sermon hearing” isn’t doing a whole lot of good.

 

Barna has done a lot of work on this. A few of the statistics that he gives is this:

• Church attenders (in America) spend about 90% of our income on ourselves, which is about what the average American spends;

• Church attenders are no more inclined… they give no more time and no more of their money in serving the poor than average Americans;

• Church attenders spend just as much on movies, just as much on fastfood, with just as much on extra clothes, and just as much on Christmas presents as the average American spends;

• Church attenders spend slightly more time with their spouse and children than average Americans and they spend slightly more time in community with others than average Americans but only slightly;

But:

• Church attenders are just as likely to cheat on their spouse as average Americans;

• Church attenders are just as likely to get a divorce than average Americans.

 

And for me, most discouraging of all:

• Church attenders are MORE LIKELY than average Americans to hold hostile attitudes towards their enemies and to approve of violence and torture against them.

 

So do a math on this and it looks like we have a religion that is focused on information gathering and this information doesn’t do a whole lot of good. There’s not a lot of transformation going on there. James calls that “worthless,” doesn’t he? It’s a worthless kind of religion which doesn’t translate into action because the reality is that the Kingdom of God is not about getting information. It’s about doing stuff with the information that you have…AMEN!

I want to be clear on this. I think it’s good to go to church. It’s good to hear sermons and not because it’s job security for me, alright! (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION LAUGH) I’m a fan of sermons. I’m a fan of going to church. I’m a fan of studying the Bible of course, and reading Theology, and talking about that. That’s all god stuff! All the books out there. You’ve got to read them, man! It’s good stuff only however… only if it translates into something different in our life. If it makes a difference in our life how we live because the Kingdom of God is about living a counter-cultural life. It’s about doing something about the information that we have. It’s about looking more and more like Jesus. It’s about living in outrageous generosity. It’s about serving the poor, the widows, and the orphans… and caring about them. It’s about swimming upstream in our culture. You see information gathering isn’t an end or an end itself.

Now it brings me back to the mirror. Did I come back to the mirror? Where is it? Oh! Here it is! Here’s a mirror. (GREG LOOKS FOR A MIRROR THAT HE PREPARED EARLIER AND FINDS IT. HE THEN WALKS BACK TO THE CENTER OF THE STAGE.) “Look in the mirror,” he says, and check out how your hair is. (GREG LOOKS INTO THE MIRROR.) I’m really getting gruff these days. OK! (THE CONGREGATION LAUGHS.) Look at that… I get a little reflection there. (GREG CRACKS A JOKE BY SLIGHTLY CHANGING HIS VOICE INTO SOMETHING HOARSE LIKE AN OLD MAN’S AND SAYING….) “Where were you on the night of the 14th? Speak!!!” (SOME IN THE CONGREGATION LAUGH AND GREG REVERTS BACK TO HIS USUAL VOICE.) So I check to see how my hair’s messed up. No! My hair is pretty good. Then I put the mirror down and suppose I (there are people actually who have this affliction) have no short term memory. So two seconds later I’m wondering, “Is my hair messed up?” (GREG LOOKS INTO THE MIRROR.) “No! My hair isn’t messed up.” Put the mirror down. Two seconds later, “Is my hair messed up?” I got to look into the mirror and “No! My hair’s not messed up,” and on and on and on. The point is this: That a mirror is useless if you don’t have a memory. (THE CONGREGATION LAUGHS.)

But it’s just as useless as hearing the word and not doing something with it. “A mirror is as useless to a person without a memory as the word is to a person who will not act on it,” that’s what James is saying here. So that our first point is that we’re deceiving ourselves if we think that it’s a end in itself. It’s got to be translated into a changed life. And that’s the worthless religion.

Now James tells us what the worthwhile religion looks like. We read this: JAMES 1:27

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.

To look after orphans and widows… he specifically mentions those two groups because they are among the most vulnerable in the ancient world. There are no safety nets as I mentioned, no orphanages, shelters, or anything of the sort. If you don’t have someone bringing home the bacon for you then you’re not going to have any bacon to eat. And widows who didn’t have someone to support them, they would often find themselves out on the street. There’s no means of support. There’s not a lot of job opportunities for single women in the ancient world. And kids who didn’t have parents, they would often be the beggars. There’s no one to take care of them. So what James is saying by pointing out these two groups: He is simply referring to the poorest of the poor. The most vulnerable in the society. So the spirituality that our Father (our Abba-Father) accepts is pure and faultless. A spirituality that has some worth… that actually is worth something. It has some Kingdom-value. It’s a spirituality that cares about the poorest of the poor and those who are most vulnerable in society. Throughout history, those have been the groups that everyone else doesn’t have on their radar screens. They’re ignored. We all go about our lives. These are invisible people. These days we build highways to make sure that you don’t go through those areas of the city because who wants to look at them.

But see… for Kingdom people who want a spirituality that means something, we’re to keep them on our radar screen. That’s one acceptable spirituality… one that looks in the mirror and sees the Word and does something with it, and it translates into action. And then James said, “A spirituality that’s acceptable to our Abba-Father” is a spirituality that’s not polluted by the world… that keeps yourself from being polluted by the world.” I’ll say more about this next week but James has primarily in mind there is the pollution of the atmosphere of a fallen world which when we breathe, it causes us to be self-centered or inclines us to be self-centered. It’s a pollution that inclines us to hoard resources, which simply means we hang on to resources when we have more than we need in a world where there are a lot of people who have way less than they need. It’s a pollution that inclines us towards greed. It’s a pollution that inclines us to think that we have a right to the stuff that we have, the privileges, and the advantages that we have. And it’s a pollution that causes us to forget that we have a responsibility towards those who in this fallen world don’t have what they need.

It’s a pollution of this world and so the kind of spirituality that is acceptable to our Father that is true spirituality from the Kingdom is a spirituality that keeps a person from being polluted by the world, and because you’re not polluted by that atmosphere of self-centeredness and greed, you are now freed up to share with those who are in need… the most vulnerable in society and the poorest of the poor.

Then James says and my third point is this JAMES 1:25

But those who look (IN CONTRAST TO THE WORTHLESS RELIGION) intently into the perfect law that gives freedom (THERE’S A LAW THAT GIVES FREEDOM. WE DON’T THINK ABOUT IT THAT WAY, DO WE?) and continue in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

This law that James is talking about is the Law of Love. It’s the Law of Love. He refers to it in the next chapter when he says JAMES 2:8

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, (WHICH IS SIMPLY) “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

You are doing something Kingdom. You are doing something that’s worthwhile. You’re doing… you’re manifesting a spirituality that’s acceptable to our Abba-Father… the Royal Law “to love your neighbor as yourself.” When we do that and when we act on that, we are blessed in all we do. Notice this: The blessing is in what we do and this is a foundational Kingdom-principle. The real blessing… the true blessing… the Kingdom-blessing is found in what you do towards others… in sacrificing towards others… in giving towards others. It is the most blessed thing in the world to be in a position where you can pour yourself out on behalf of another. You can sacrifice resources to care for others. That’s real blessing! “It’s more blessed to give than to receive,” Paul says.

Now in a fallen world (in our culture as much as most cultures throughout history), we tend to think the opposite. We’re twisted on this. We think blessing is about getting stuff. People tend to say, “Well I’m blessed because I got this nice house. I’m blessed because I got this fine car… and I’m blessed because I got these great clothes… and I’m blessed because I got this great wife… and I’m blessed because of the great food that I can eat.” The blessing is all about what I get and I’ve met multitudes of people who point to the extravagant wealth of the country, as proof that we’re favored by God because we are so blessed! Look at all the toys we have with all this kind of wealth. Though we’re obviously favored by God and we’re a favored nation (American secularism) and all that kind of stuff and the evidence is all the stuff we have. You see, there’s a natural sense in which you say, “Oh! I’m blessed because you gave me something.” But see, that’s not a distinct Kingdom-kind of blessing.

The real blessing… the true blessing… the Kingdom-blessing… is found NOT in the recipient but in the giver. There is no greater blessing. There is no greater joy than life can give you than when you are freed up to help other people and sacrifice on behalf of other people. The greatest joy that life can give you is when you find the joy of self-sacrifice. This is part of what Jesus means when he says, “If you lose your life, you will find it. Be an imitator and live a kind of life that’s patterned after me and you’ll lose your life. You’ll give it away but now you’re going to find your life.” Why? Because what life really is… the greatest joy in life, the greatest fulfillment in life, the greatest satisfaction in life is found when you start living in a mode of pouring yourself out and giving away and sacrificing for others. That’s the foundational Kingdom-principle: It is more blessed to give than to receive.

The New Testament in James tells us is the opposite of what the twisted culture tells us: It’s not about us getting stuff, it’s about giving stuff away. And so what James is saying here is that when we look at the perfect Law of Love (Loving your neighbor as yourself) and if you’re willing to act on it, what that does is that it frees you from the pollution of this fallen world that inclines people towards greed, and when you are freed from that… you are free. Now you are free to be blessed because now you are freed to bless others or to pour out towards others. To be free from the pollution of this world means you are free from the entanglement of stuff, free from the addiction of chasing after stuff (more and more stuff), free from the having tentacles of what you own but they really own you… you’re freed from that when we live in love as Christ loved us and gave his life for us. It’s a freedom that you don’t have to cling to anything which means now you’re free to invest in everybody else and pour your life out. And now, you can manifest the spirituality that is acceptable to our heavenly Father, the kind of spirituality that cares about the orphans and the widows – the invisible people of our society… the people on the margin… the people who are oppressed… the people who aren’t on others’ radar screens. Kingdom-people, they got to be on our radar screen.

My prayer for us Woodland Hills Church and Podrishioners as you’re listening and all who are tuned in… our prayer is that we would (as a body) be a people who don’t just hear the word. We act on it. We do it. My prayer is that we be a people who are increasingly free of the pollution of the world. Our culture is incredibly polluted in this area. And therefore I pray that we increasingly be a body who lives out the gospel and cares about the poor and cares about the homeless and we reflect that by how we sacrifice for them… loving them as Christ loved us when he gave his life for us on the cross. My prayer is that we celebrate this season and every Christmas season in a distinct Kingdom-way and we be a people who celebrate Christmas beyond the pattern… the pattern of this world… the pattern of culture… that we put on display the values of the Kingdom of God because the truth is Uncle Joe doesn’t need that basket of fruit and candy. But the truth is that there’s a family who could use that $50 to put food on their table… if they had a table. Kingdom-people, that’s supposed to be on our radar screen

So I want to lead us on an exercise here to let the Holy Spirit apply it to our lives. This message and any other message is utterly-utterly worthless if it doesn’t result in some lifestyle change… some difference in the way we live. And so you may close your eyes if that helps you. I want us to ask the Holy Spirit… podrishionsers, you do the same while you’re jogging or in whatever you’re doing… on how our life should be different because of this word. Holy Spirit, please reveal it to us. Is there something that we need to change because of this? You might get a word, you might get a picture right now, or you may just get a feeling but just open your heart to the Holy Spirit. Reveal it to us Holy Spirit. How are we to live life differently? Maybe there’s something that you want to buy but now you see it differently. Maybe there’s a conversation you need to have with the “Uncle Joe” in your life… maybe with ten (10) “Uncle Joes…” just receive it.

What struck me this morning as so grotesque is finding something to buy for somebody who doesn’t need it, in an environment where so many people don’t even have food. Holy Spirit, help us to see this how our lives are supposed to be different. Then as you get a sense or a picture of how some things are supposed to change, will you if you’re a Kingdom-person (will you) right now just commit to doing it and ask God to help you and empower you to do it, and to remember to do it. Because the minute we step outside these doors or whatever else you’re doing, podrishioners, the minute you put it down there’s a pollution factor that causes us to forget… to forget what our face looks like in front of the mirror… to forget what our life looks like as we look into the Word. Holy Spirit will you remind us. And folks I encourage you to surrender your life to this and to commit to it. And we ask the Holy Spirit to seal it that we will not just be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. Seal it Holy Spirit… seal it for us.

I want to close in prayer and I want the prayer teams to come up as I do. If you want to know more about the “Making Space” Campaign, I want to invite you to stop at the hub of the “Making Space” Campaign…

Abba-Father, I pray that we would be a people, individually and collectively that we are a people acting on the Word and that we’d be free from the pollution of the World and living as you loved us and gave your life for us, who are set free from entanglement, and therefore set free from greed. I pray we’d be a blessed people… a tremendously blessed people… a blessing in a Kingdom-way… and we be blessed by being doers in all that we do.

And this we pray in Jesus name and all Abba’s children said, AMEN!!!

 

 

Be blessed! Be powerfully blessed as you leave

this place!! AMEN!!!

 

 

 

 

Focus Scripture – James 1:1, 22-27

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror 24 and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. 25 But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continue in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 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.

 

Extended Summary

When it comes to Christmas, many of our stories surround Jesus and all of the good things he did. This is a good thing, but most of the time we overlook Jesus’ younger brother, James. Imagine for a moment that you’re the younger brother of Jesus. While some may call it a blessing, for those of us who have had overachieving older siblings, we know it can be a curse trying to live up to what our older siblings do. This was never truer than for James.

James’ becoming a servant to Jesus is testament to the validity of the resurrection. If the stories of Jesus were sensationalized or false, James would have been one of the first people to set the story straight. Yet, we see in the Bible that James bent his knee and called his older brother “Lord”. If you have an older sibling, you know how much it must have taken to make James believe in Jesus like this. And this is also why we see James saying that it takes more than information to follow Jesus. Following Jesus requires action.

We can’t merely listen to the word and not act. This can be convicting, even for Greg. He is sucker for information, and it’s his job to acquire information about God. He can easily fall into the trap of not acting on this information, or even worse, he can think that studying the information is enough without the sacrifice involved. The Gospel calls him to action, as it does to every follower of Jesus.

The main goal of gospel is not to get us to listen to a sermon every week. The main goal is that this information would lead us to action. Many that identify themselves as Christians do so because they go to church every week. Which is probably why there are so many statistics out there that Christians don’t live much differently than non-Christians. The information we learn should be like a mirror that we use to change our appearance. If we look into the mirror, but we don’t fix our hair or clean our face, then what’s the point of the mirror? In the same way, what’s the point of hearing the gospel if it doesn’t change our lives?

We are deceiving ourselves if we think Christianity is about gathering information. The Kingdom is about living a certain kind of life, a life aimed at helping others and not being polluted by the world. We must help those who cannot help themselves, the poorest of the poor. James calls them the widows and the orphans, because in the ancient world, these people had no way of supporting themselves. There were no social safety nets, which is why God called His people to take care of them.

The only kind of spiritual that is acceptable to God our Father is the kind in which listening to the word gets translated into caring for the poorest of the poor. This spirituality that God is asking for is the kind that rejects the pollution of the world (hoarding, greed, etc…) and instead aims to take care of the poor by sacrificing our own comfort. This is the law of love, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

When you live to bless others, YOU end up getting blessed. People get this idea twisted in today’s society. When we speak of blessings, we usually speak of our nice house, a car that runs, and food on our tables. Multitudes of Christians use this as the basis for saying that America is blessed, simply because we have more. Christmas is a time for many blessings right along these lines. Yet, James and the NT say the exact opposite. The true blessing is not with the recipient of the gift, it is with the giver.

The greatest joy of life is being able to sacrifice for others, serve others, and caring for others. And the greatest freedom is the freedom to do these things. It’s the freedom that the law of love gives us, not just to hear, but to act upon. It’s the freedom from the bondage and pollution of this world. As we head into this Christmas season, remember those that are poor and in need. Act upon this awareness of others, and be blessed by stepping up to help.

 

 

Reflection Questions

1. What additional questions and comments did you have about the sermon and supporting texts?

2. What are some of the stumbling blocks to helping the poor? When you think of blessings, what do you normally think of? How does this passage in James change the way you think of blessings?

3. There are many studies saying that Christians are no different than the rest of the world in action. What are some concrete ways in which we can act differently, especially around this Christmas season?

4. Take another look at James’ situation in life. What does his life say about the validity of the Gospel and how we should view the world?

 

Filed under: Greg Boyd • Sermon Transcript

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