I have been
looking through James this past week, and there’s a theme in chapter two that
strikes me as very relevant to what we have learned in the Christmas story so
far. Sorry to jump around a bit, but please let me quote you a couple verses,
and then you will learn what I mean.
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it not
accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17)
“You believe that there is one God. Good!
Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19)
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so
faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26)
These verses
seem slightly contradictory to what Jesus teaches, and the fact that he detests
all the rituals of the Pharisees, later on in his ministry, but really this is
very much in line both with what Christ teaches (sell all you own and give it
to the poor, love your neighbor, do good to those who hate you etc... are all
deeds of faith), and the message of the Christmas story as we have heard it so
far this month! Let me give you a few bullet points to remind you of this
point...
-Zechariah
may have done the deed correctly of lighting the incense, but lacked faith in
God’s plan for his child. And so God silenced him.
- Mary had
faith, AND acted on it, glorifying God through song and an obedient spirit. God
protected her from the shame of being a single mother, and provided her with
many affirmations of his will, to strengthen her faith, since she committed her
faith through her actions.
- Elizabeth acted on her faith by praising God
and affirming Mary’s baby as the Christ child
- Zechariah
has faith and acts on it by naming his son John. This results in his mouth
being opened! And Zechariah immediately responds with the deed of praise to
God, despite whoever is watching!
- Mary and
Joseph both acted in faith by journeying to Bethlehem with a VERY pregnant
Mary, trusting God that he would keep his Christ son, and that boy’s mother
safe from harm. That was a HUGE deed that was brought on by faith...
- The shepherds
acted on their faith by searching for the Christ child. They once again acted
on their faith by telling all the people about what they saw...
So you can
see that the Christmas story is full of examples of how faith and deeds must go
hand-in-hand. God is not a God of book-learnin’ although he wants us to know
him well in his word...God wants to be EXPERIENTIAL. He doesn’t want us to just
sit around and debate about theology until we are blue in the face, He wants us
to believe him SO MUCH that we take risks for his name’s sake. (Risks that
REALLY aren’t risks, when you consider all that Christ promised us). He wants
to live out our faith, act out our faith. That was the difference between whom
God chose to be a part of the story of his son’s birth, and who we would’ve
Chosen. God chose an elderly man and his barren wife to rebirth the prophet
Isaiah in prophetic wisdom... We would’ve probably chosen a younger healthier
couple, likely also in the priesthood... But God saw Zechariah’s correctable
spirit, and Elizabeth’s joyful soul...God chose a teenage girl with NO
parenting experience, to be the mother of his son. Likely I would have picked
someone more mature, who had a stable marriage already, or had demonstrated
some sense of biblical wisdom...But God saw an obedient and teachable spirit,
and a mother who would love his son dearly. God chose the lowly shepherds, Jewish
or not, to be the messengers to people about the birth of his son. I likely
would have chosen someone more prominent and easily believed. But God saw the
obedient spirits of the shepherds and chose exactly right!
God saw not
only people’s faith, but the fact that their faith was experiential and that
these were the people who were not afraid to act on their faith. These people
were LEGITIMATE in their faith. We may see outer flaws, and many weaknesses,
but God sees faith in these people that is flawless and so strong it could move
mountains (And so I think perhaps God chose better than I would have!). What a
different story it would have been if Zechariah didn’t name him John. What a
different story if Mary had quickly eloped with Joseph so that he would think
the baby was his.... what a different story if the shepherds decided to mind
their own business... What a difference, action on faith makes...
This is a
very short little study today... I want to re-emphasize the point that we need
to seek God’s will and be obedient to it! Maybe he is giving you a word to
share with someone, or putting someone in need on your heart. Maybe He is
simply calling at you to spend more time with HIM. Whatever it is, it is NOT
ENOUGH to just believe it...You must act on that faith, or it is dead.
Do something
for God today. Pray, seek him out, and act on what comes to your heart... This
is the story of Christmas. This is what brings God’s glory during this season,
which is what it is all about.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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