Renewing the Mind: Embracing God's Word and Justice
Summary
The sermon begins with the pastor emphasizing the importance of renewing the mind to live a Christian life pleasing to God, drawing from the New Testament's teachings, particularly Romans 12:2. He then focuses on James' application of receiving and doing the word, emphasizing the control of speech habits as a significant theme in living out the word. The pastor also addresses the issue of elders in the church who are primarily successful businessmen and the message that sends to the congregation about leadership and spirituality. He raises the question of whether the church has unconsciously adopted a worldly standard in the way it rewards and honors people, which may be incompatible with the kingdom of God.
The pastor then discusses another fault line in the church today, which is discrimination in relation to school and parenting philosophies. He gives the example of homeschoolers versus public schoolers, highlighting the division and lack of consensus on this issue within the church. The pastor also mentions the issue of music preferences, leading to the separation of church services catering to different age groups. The lack of communication between different generations is acknowledged as a problem that needs to be addressed.
The pastor then focuses on the importance of internalizing and living out the Word of God. He highlights the command in James to be holy as God is holy and emphasizes the need to recognize, internalize, and live according to the Word. The pastor acknowledges that while God is the one who plants the Word in our hearts, we also have a role to play in internalizing and learning it. He expresses his concern for the transformation of Christians and their ability to live lives pleasing to God.
The pastor then focuses on two significant themes from the book of James. The first theme is the idea of pure and faultless religion that God accepts, which is to care for orphans and widows in their distress. The second theme highlighted by the pastor is James' denunciation of the rich. The pastor believes that James' message is particularly important and relevant. Overall, this portion of the sermon emphasizes the importance of caring for the marginalized and the need for genuine Christian faith to be demonstrated through actions of compassion and justice.
In the final portion of the sermon, the pastor emphasizes the importance of understanding and embracing both the law and the gospel in the Word of God. The pastor explains that we cannot separate the two, as they are two sides of the same coin. The pastor encourages the congregation to find a balance between the two in their own lives and in their teaching and preaching, so that they can truly rejoice in the gospel throughout their Christian journey.
Key Takeaways:
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of renewing the mind to live a Christian life pleasing to God, drawing from the New Testament's teachings, particularly Romans 12:2. This process involves internalizing and living out the Word of God, which requires both God's action in planting the Word in our hearts and our role in learning and internalizing it. [12:45]
- The pastor raises the question of whether the church has unconsciously adopted a worldly standard in the way it rewards and honors people, which may be incompatible with the kingdom of God. This is particularly relevant in the context of elders in the church who are primarily successful businessmen. [22:30]
- The pastor highlights the division and lack of consensus within the church on issues such as school and parenting philosophies and music preferences. He acknowledges the lack of communication between different generations as a problem that needs to be addressed. [34:15]
- The pastor emphasizes the importance of caring for the marginalized and the need for genuine Christian faith to be demonstrated through actions of compassion and justice. This is based on James' teachings on pure and faultless religion that God accepts, which involves caring for orphans and widows in their distress. [45:50]
- The pastor encourages the congregation to find a balance between the law and the gospel in their own lives and in their teaching and preaching. He explains that we cannot separate the two, as they are two sides of the same coin, and that both are necessary for our Christian journey. [58:20]
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. James 1:15: "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
2. James 1:21: "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."
3. James 1:26-27: "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 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."
Observation Questions:
1. What does James 1:15 suggest about the progression of sin and its ultimate consequence?
2. In James 1:21, what are the actions that are encouraged and what is the promised result?
3. According to James 1:26-27, what are the characteristics of a religion that God accepts as pure and faultless?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the progression of sin, as described in James 1:15, relate to the importance of controlling our speech and desires?
2. What does it mean to "humbly accept the word planted in you" as stated in James 1:21? How does this relate to the concept of internalizing and living out the Word of God?
3. How does the description of pure and faultless religion in James 1:26-27 challenge the worldly standards that may have been unconsciously adopted by the church?
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent situation where unchecked desire led to sin in your life. How could you have applied the teaching of James 1:15 to prevent this?
2. What is one practical step you can take this week to humbly accept and internalize the Word of God as instructed in James 1:21?
3. In light of James 1:26-27, identify a group or individual in your community who is marginalized. What is one specific action you can take this week to care for them?
4. Consider your speech habits. What is one change you can make to ensure your words align with the teachings of James 1:26?
5. Reflect on the standards and values you uphold in your life. Are there any that are more aligned with worldly standards than with the teachings of James? What is one step you can take to realign these standards?
Devotional
Day 1: Renewing the Mind Through the Word
The journey of a Christian life pleasing to God begins with the renewal of the mind, a process deeply rooted in the teachings of the New Testament, particularly Romans 12:2. This renewal involves internalizing and living out the Word of God, a divine action that plants the Word in our hearts, and our responsibility to learn and internalize it. [12:45]
Bible Passage: Ephesians 4:23 - "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Reflection: How can you actively participate in the renewal of your mind today? Can you identify a specific area in your life that needs to be transformed by the Word of God?
Day 2: Worldly Standards vs Kingdom Values
There is a need to question whether the church has unconsciously adopted worldly standards in the way it rewards and honors people, which may be incompatible with the kingdom of God. This is particularly relevant in the context of church leadership. [22:30]
Bible Passage: 1 Corinthians 1:27 - "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
Reflection: How can you discern between worldly standards and kingdom values in your life? Can you identify a specific instance where you may have unconsciously adopted a worldly standard?
Day 3: Bridging Generational Gaps
The church faces divisions and lack of consensus on issues such as school and parenting philosophies and music preferences. There is a need to address the lack of communication between different generations. [34:15]
Bible Passage: Psalm 145:4 - "One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts."
Reflection: How can you contribute to bridging the generational gap in your church community? Can you think of a specific action you can take today to foster better communication?
Day 4: Caring for the Marginalized
The essence of pure and faultless religion that God accepts involves caring for the marginalized, such as orphans and widows in their distress. Genuine Christian faith should be demonstrated through actions of compassion and justice. [45:50]
Bible Passage: Isaiah 1:17 - "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."
Reflection: How can you demonstrate your faith through actions of compassion and justice today? Can you identify a specific way to care for the marginalized in your community?
Day 5: Balancing Law and Gospel
Understanding and embracing both the law and the gospel in the Word of God is crucial. They are two sides of the same coin and both are necessary for our Christian journey. [58:20]
Bible Passage: Psalm 19:7 - "The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple."
Reflection: How can you find a balance between the law and the gospel in your life? Can you identify a specific area where you need to apply this balance?
Quotes
"The most spiritual are coincidentally also the ones who are the most active...we need to look at those sorts of things and ask if we have adopted a kind of worldly standard that is incompatible with what the kingdom is supposed to be." [01:38:11]
"Recognizing the word, internalizing it, and then living it is a fundamental concern of mine in terms of biblical teaching on how we become transformed Christians and live lives pleasing to God." [25:25]
"Do the word, don't just listen to it, don't just hear it, don't just study it, but see it for what it is—a transformative instrument in bringing us into conformity to Christ and leading ultimately to our salvation and God's glory." [18:01]
"Hasn't God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he's promised to those who love him? God chooses the poor, it's a kind of a very strong thing for James to say." [01:21:02]
"We need as Christian leaders to take the lead in showing how we should be motivated in these matters directed by and stand under consistently Christian and biblical values even in distinction to where those differ from American values." [50:36]
"James is concerned that people who merely listen to the word will be deceiving themselves about their spiritual status. People who only listen to the word and don't do it." [08:04]
"Too many Christians implicitly seem to be saying, 'Well, we shouldn't make any changes that affect our standard of living.' That's when we have to just recognize this for what it is: selfishness, materialism. I don't want to give up my easy way of life for the sake of making some difficult decisions about the way I live or about people I vote for and policies that they will put into effect to solve the problem." [36:46]
"Religion that God our Father accepts is pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress." (29:52)
"God is choosing the poor... it does mean that god is working in a way that suggests many of the early Christians... are poor... if you're treating with deference a wealthy person and you are treating a poor person who comes into your meeting with contempt with dishonor, you are not in line with what god himself is choosing." [01:26:49]
"Sometimes when you try to strike the balance between social issues and also maintaining the spiritual aspect of staying unspotted from the world, it's so easy to get distracted. We want ourselves to reach out, but we don't want our church to get distracted from the gospel mission." [57:49]
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