So, I’ve always said right from the beginning that James’s main point, I mean, if you were to summarize, James all in just one sentence, it would be that It is not enough to be a Christian if it doesn’t show in your life. Is that the fact that you are a Christian doesn’t show up in how you live your life, how you conduct your life? Then it is not good enough. The profession is not good enough if it is not followed by a conduct that supports that profession

And the simple example is this is the following that if you say you are a Blue Bulls supporter and you are not willing to wear their Blue Bulls T-shirt, you are not willing to go to the games. You are not willing to go to Loftus. You are not willing to go to rejoice with them. Then the people are going to start questioning…. Why would you call yourself a Blue Bull?

I’m not even sure why you would support the Bulls in the 1st place, but let’s say you do. You know, you know people will question why? Why? Why do you even call yourself… The same thing is [in this] case:

You know, my wife says, tells me sometimes, it’s you! say you are a Christian.  You have different standards. I judge that person differently from you because you have a standard. That you need to abide. And if you are going to behave like that person and expect me to judge you like that person, that would now be hypocrite. Because you claim that this Book is your standard. So, I’m going to charge you based on this.”

And that is that is true and the whole world does that – isn’t. it?

They judge us if, based on what we profess. But if our conduct does not reflect what we profess, this is problematic.

Some History About James

And we know that this book of James was written by James. He was the leader of the Jerusalem Church and the last brother.  We know that he wrote it from Jerusalem, and this was a time when there was persecution, social unrest.  And Christians, where they have fled to where they were being Isolated, persecuted – they were very poor. They were facing very difficult times.

It’s so difficult that James started with difficult times. But he started first at the beginning by saying, reminding them that remember who you are in Christ. And he said to them, You are slaves. You are not equal. Because sometimes you cannot want to be equal with God and you want to tell God, this is how you’re going to judge us. You’re going to understand that my sin is justifiable.  God, you’re gonna understand that I did that because I had to!  God, you gonna understand that I’m human, so therefore I must sin. You know I can sin.

So, in other words, we tend to think we can tell God what to do and how to judge us.

He is Our Master and We Are His Slaves

So, he started, rightly so, by reminding them and us, that our relationship to Christ, even though we are friends, even though we are brothers, even though he is, but He’s still our Lord. He is our Lord, and we are slaves. And slaves have a certain relationship with their masters. And slave relationship that they have with their master is to obey!  A slave obeys. In fact, it pleases the slave when they obey their master.  It pleases the master when slaves obey them.

Why? What’s the point of having a slave that’s gonna sit around the table and say, can we discuss it? Then you’re not a slave! Then you are a partner!

Our View vs the Bible’s View of Slaves

But this is not how the Bible defines the relationship with Christ. A Christian, or one who professes Christianity, is a slave for Christ.  I know we have very negative connotations of what slave is, but we’ve explained that slavery during that time was not our modern slavery. How we understand slaves to be. In fact, slaves were the doctors. They were the physicians, they were the lawyers, they were the educated. They were very, very highly [regarded.] There were a prized property of the owner. The owner could have been someone who didn’t even go to school.  But he had slaves that were so educated, so are valuable to him, that they made him.

In fact, in the Old Testament, some people did not even want to leave. It is why God said those after 50 years, and the Jubilee, who wants to leave, let them leave. But those who don’t want to, have them… give them a mark  to show that they chose to stay.  But obviously true sin… our own selfish and prideful… and desires, we change that over time to something.  So, the first point that James says is we are slaves. And in relation to Christ, He’s the Master, we are slaves.

 

Trials & Temptations

And then he spoke about trials and temptations.  Because like I said, this these Christians, that he’s writing [to] they’re really going through difficult times.  And they needed to understand what’s going on, how to respond. And he was saying to them, you guys have a different view. You’ve got a worldly view of trials and temptation. This is God’s view of it. You need to look at it God’s Way, not the world’s way Because the world says I’m bad luck, the world says I’m bewitched. That’s why I’m going through this. But God says: No, no, no, no. I allowed this!  I allowed this in your life. You think I couldn’t stop it if I wanted? I allowed it because I want to grow you and  because I want you to conform to Jesus, which is the goal of Christianity, to be conformed to our Master, Jesus Christ.

Why Trials?

He says: I’m using these trials. I’m using temptation. No matter how difficult they are. But it says also remember that trial that I’m giving you. I know you can handle it.  I haven’t given you something that you cannot handle.

That is why we all have different trials.  Because God knows what we are capable of, so He soothes…. He takes the trial, and He allows it, and He trims it just for you!  On top of that, He gives you a way to handle it, not the way out. But there is a way to handle it, so that you can persevere.

A Christian Advantage

Christians have the ability to go through trials and enjoy it. They have the [ability to persevere through it. If you don’t pray for wisdom.  He says James, pray for wisdom, ask God to allow you to be able to do this. And He gives this guarantee that if you pray for wisdom during trials, you’ll be given it!  This is the only time that you will agree with the  charismatics! If you pray for wisdom during trials, you’ll get it. You’ll get it! It’s a guarantee! So, there is really our old view of trials should be very different from the world. We should see this as a time…. This is why, James, you see, it’s a time of rejoice.

Why Does God Allow Trials?

There’s a time when the Creator of this world has taken time out of His very busy schedule to tailor a trial exactly for you. I would feel important. I mean that would be very important! That has to make you feel… very moved on! Because this, is during trials, what normally happens is you, it might be a financial trial for example, and you might have the desire to go and steal  because you want that money.  And then those guys were saying: OK, so if I steal and because you God allowed this trial, so it’s your fault!

And he says: No! it’s not God’s fault. It is your desires that you need to deal with!

 

Transition

So, he dealt with trials and temptations. He gave us a worldview, and then he moved on to say God cannot give us trials in order so that we can sin. That is not how God does. In fact, from God we expect only good and perfect gift. And he used salvation as a good example of the good gifts that God gave up.  And then he said God saved us through the Word, and he used James 1: 18 to transition to where we are now where he now starts to focus on God’s word and what is the relationship of a slave of Christ to His Word?

We’ve spoken about what is the relationship of a slave of Christ to trials and temptations. Now he’s moving over- what is the relationship of a slave of Christ with God’s Word?

Proposition

So, I have divided this into 2 main points which is: I don’t know if you can see, oh, there we go….

Marks of a truly changed heart and marks of a true religion, but the title of the message is of this sermon is that Marks of a True Slave of Christ. Why do I say marks of a true slave of Christ?

In fact, this would have actually been the title for the whole of James. Because the whole of James is about what characterizes a slave of Christ.  So, this title actually should actually be more for the whole book, but this is the Marks of a True Slave of Christ in Relation to God Word In Relation to God’s Word – maybe I should have added that.

So, Marks of a Truly Changed Heart from James 1: 22-25

And Marks of a True Religion – James 1: 26-27

 

See also

 

and Slaves for Christ