Bona Fide
A study of James
Part 13
“Living Bona Fide”
I have spent the last 3 months teaching and preaching through the book of James
We have spent a lot of time learning what being Bona Fide means
Now it is time to apply what we have learned
Dustin Hoffman in the movie Little Big Man
Said while giving his biography about his life and in particular his life with the Indians to a reporter
I was not playing Indian
I was living Indian
I want us to think about those words for a moment
Just a few short words from a silly movie
But
We can apply those words to our life as well if we take the instructions
Guidelines
Rules for living that James lays out for us
And truly
I mean truly apply them to our lives
Little big man was not pretending to be Indian
He was not dressing up for Halloween
He was immersed in the Indian life style and culture
This is what James has been teaching us
Change the word Indian to Christian
And you will see the similarity
Bona Fide Believers are not playing Christian
They are living Christian
What I mean is the world sees a change in them and in their lives
The people they know hear a difference in their words
See a change in their responses and reactions
Notice something out of the ordinary in their actions
The Bona Fide believer also sees a change in themselves
Feel a Change in themselves
They think differently
Act differently
Make decisions differently
Than they once did
And most definitely different than the world around them
Today my plan is to wrap up our study of James
Easter is getting near
And we need to shift our focus fully to Jesus
And his sacrifice for our sins
We need to concentrate and fully appreciate the magnitude of what he did for us
And prayerfully
Over the next weeks we will have repeated opportunities to do that
From our Palm Sunday service
To our Good Friday service
To the “ Sonrise” service
To our regular celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning
But for today
Let’s continue with the concept of Pleasing God by becoming more like Jesus
Sanctified the theologians call it
Bona Fide we say here at Caney Creek
Chapter 5 of James is kind of a recap of the entire chapter
As a result of that we are going to skim past a bit of it
Not that it is unimportant
But that we have covered theses items in one way or another already
And then
Recap the last several weeks
And then go back to 5 for our conclusion of this sermon and this series
James 5 covers the topic of money
James says
And
Jesus says
That money is not inherently evil
But that the love of money
The focus on
The making of money into an idol is
He says that when we focus on the green stuff
We stop focusing on the right stuff
And we are in danger of losing site of what is important
The love of money has destroyed
Marriages
Families
Friendships
And can and will destroy or walk with the Lord if we place too much emphasis on it
We need money to pay our bills
To enjoy parts of our lives
The church and other ministries need money to do the work God has set out for them
But the focus of money becomes a stumbling block to those who forget its place in their lives
Individuals
Families and even churches
Please open your bibles to James 5
Let me read James’ hard words from verses 1-3
James 5:1-3
“ Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.”
James tells us that Bona Fide believers keep money in its place
And that elevating money to the place of God or sometimes above God
Will stifle our walk
Steal the joy of our salvation
And can build a wall of separation between us a God
God who loves us so much
He says that the treasure we should seek is only found in relationship with God though Christ
And worldly treasures will rot and corrode and disappear
There is an old saying they don’t put trailer hitches on Hearses
So why do we seem to spend so much time and energy on acquiring more and more things w and more and more money
when the real things, the things that last
Are from God
Next James Goes back to readdress patience
And what it means for us and how we get it
We covered this very well in earlier sermons
Remember from James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Patience is tough for most of us
But when we follow Jesus’ example it becomes much easier
James chapter 1
Taught us that the Bona Fide believer takes a confident stand
They learn patience and endurance through testing and trials
Bona Fide believers
Draw the line about their loyalty and don’t waver in their faith
The Bona fide believer understand how and why they are tempted
They understand that Old slick uses what we already have in our hearts and they armor up and protect themselves from these attacks
James assures us that every good thing that we get comes from God
And that we are his prized possessions
These are the things that a Bona Fide believer has
Then in chapter 2
James teaches us about Compassionate service
This is what a Bona Fide believer does
First He teaches us about the sin of favoritism
Remember James 2:1
“ My dear brothers and sisters,[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?”
James says there is no p[lace in a Bona Fide believers heart for prejudice
And shows that we are called to serve our neighbors as Christ served his’ with love, compassion, kindness without regard to race , sex, nationality, of any of the things of this world that cause separation
He goes on in chapter 2 to explain to us
How our actions
Or deeds
Our works
Are evidence of the salvation we have received
Not a requirement of salvation
But the result of salvation
And that good works should be clearly visible in a believer’s life
James 2:14-16
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?”
Chapter 2 is all about
What a Bona Fide believer does
So we have seen that the Bona Fide believer has
And what they do
The James moves to the topic of what a Bona Fide believer says
James 3
Teaches us about speaking love instead of hate
Speaking light instead of darkness
Speaking truth instead of lies
James shows us that speech motivated by God and his wisdom
Builds people up
And that speech motivated by Old slick and the world
Tears them down
Backing up to James 1:19-20
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger[a] does not produce the righteousness[b] God desires.
Learning to listen
Thinking before we speak
Controlling our anger
Leads to the righteousness God desires
This is what a Bona Fide believer says
James move on to What a Bona Fide believer feels in chapter 4
James 4:7-10
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Feeling joy
Peace
love
Characterizes the true believer
But also feeling regret for your mistakes
Sorrow for your sins
Regret and sorrow
That leads to repentance
Not wallowing in it
But learning from it
These are just some of the things the Bona Fide believers feel or should feel
Love and concern for others
A desire to please God
And a longing to walk in obedience to God and his word
James shows us in chapter 4 how the real believers
The ones who are becoming Bona Fide
Should not judge others
But instead accept their faults just as Jesus accepted ours
And then have enough compassion to help others overcome those areas of their lives that keep them from growing in faith
James warps up chapter 4 warning us to seek God in all of our plans
Plan Ahead
But plan ahead with God
Chapter 4 is all about what a Bona Fide believer feels
Submission to God
A contrite spirit the theologians call this
Surrendering to his Lordship in your life
In cowboy terms
Letting him drive
Take the reins
Letting him affect and direct every area of your lives
Then James moves to chapter 5
Where he shows us what a Bona Fide believer gives
Concerned sharing theologians call this
What this means is that we give out a true sense of love
And concern
Not out of obligation
But instead
Out of a desire to help
Many times we can help someone with a spiritual problem by helping with a physical problem
This moves us to the wrap up of the book of James
And I can tell you
I could spend weeks in the last 7 verses of this book
It has so much relevance and significance in our lives that it is absolutely amazing
Let’s read verses 13-20 in its entirety then we can break it down just a bit before we must move on
James 5:13-20
13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
Verse 13a
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.”
Pray first not last
As the first line of defense
Not as a last ditch effort
Verse 13b
“Are any of you happy? You should sing praises”
Sing and shout for joy
Tell anyone and everyone what Christ has done for you
Share your testimonies
Give God the glory in all things
Verse 14
14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Ask God for healing
Don’t demand it
Seek his will
Show faith by calling the Elders
And trusting the faith of those you called
God can and will heal
According to his will
And hearing the petitions of his faithful servants in intercession for the sick
Pleases God
Verse 15a
15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.”
Listen
I need you to hear this
The Faith here is the faith of those who are praying not necessarily the one who needs the prayer
And I need you to know this
God heals
God alone heals
But
Prayer of his faithful is part of God’s plan of healing
He wants us to pray for healing
And all prayers and healings are subject to his will
His plan as we covered last week
But- Listen
His children
Praying for more of his children
Is pleasing to him
And when we do this we are showing our Bona Fideness
And this also pleases God
Verses 16-18
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
Verses 19-20
19 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, 20 you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
You see these are the end results
Living right
And leading right
James has taught us how to become Bona Fide
And he in 19-20 he tells us that the results of that Bona Filenes
Are changed lives
First our own lives
And the lives of those we come into contact with
Changed lives by giving us the confidence to stand up for Jesus
But also to stand for Jesus
To proclaim his glory for all to see
With assurance that he is in charge
Confidence that we are his children and he has everything under control
Changed lives by moving us to service
Helping others
With compassion and love
In prayer and in deed
With a desire to show Jesus to the world
Changed lives shown by what we say
What we say
What we don’t say
And how we say what we say
Speaking love
Speaking hope
Speaking light
Changed lives by submission
Surrendering fully to God
Surrendering fully to Jesus’ lordship in all areas of our livers
24/ 7 ---365 not just Sunday’s and Wednesdays
Not just in the hard times
Changed lives in the sharing of what God has blessed us with
Money
Talents
Time
Belongings
Compassion
Changed lives by what and how we give
And how we love
Developing Bona Fide religion—a relationship that is pleasing to God
Growing in Bona Fide faith- Remember without faith it is impossible to please God
Maturing in Bona Fide wisdom- God’s wisdom not our own or the world’s idea of wisdom
Setting strong corners
That will not fail under pressure or time
Standing on the rock that is Jesus
And becoming more and more like him daily
I encourage you to read from the book of James often
Go back here in your quiet time
Think about these teachings, meditate on them, and use them in your life
And to
Use scripture----- all scripture as a mirror to find and change weaknesses and faults but also to show us where we are doing it right
Stay the course
And keep Growing
And striving to become Bona Fide
Close from the heart
Pray
