Transforming Hearts: From Hearing to Doing
Summary
### Summary
Good morning and welcome to Suamico United Methodist Church. Today, we are celebrating Labor Day weekend with a special worship service under a big tent at the park in Little Suamico. For those joining us online, I have pre-recorded this message to ensure you can partake in our joyful celebration. Our focus today is on what we allow into our bodies and what flows out of us, and the choices we make that affect this dynamic.
We began with readings from James 1 and Mark 7. James emphasizes the importance of being doers of the word, not just hearers. He calls for Christians to care for those who cannot care for themselves, like orphans and widows, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Mark 7 depicts Jesus challenging traditional notions of purity, emphasizing that what defiles a person comes from within, not from external sources.
To illustrate this, we conducted a science experiment with Mentos and Diet Coke, showing how what we put in can cause an energetic reaction. This serves as a metaphor for our spiritual lives. Are we putting in God's word and allowing it to produce love, joy, and grace, or are we filling ourselves with negativity and letting that spill out?
I shared a personal story about adopting a 12-year-old foster child, despite warnings from our own congregation. This experience taught us that we cannot control what goes into or comes out of another person, but we can create an environment that encourages growth and flourishing. This ties back to our readings: true religion is about caring for the invisible and marginalized, not just following rituals.
Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, for focusing on external rituals while neglecting the heart of God's commandments. He used the term "hypocrites," derived from Greek theater, to describe those who act out roles without genuine commitment. This is a call for us to examine our own lives. Are we merely paying lip service to God's word, or are we putting it into action?
In our Methodist tradition, early preachers reached out to coal miners who were excluded from church due to their appearance. This historical context challenges us to consider who we might be excluding today. Are we focusing on trivial matters and missing the core of God's message?
Ultimately, both Jesus and James call us to balance hearing God's word with doing it. We are to love God and our neighbors, putting our faith into action. This Labor Day weekend, let us commit to allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, so that we may spray love and grace into the world.
### Key Takeaways
1. Be Doers of the Word: James calls us to be doers of the word, not just hearers. This means actively caring for those who cannot care for themselves, like orphans and widows, and keeping ourselves unstained by the world. True religion is not just about rituals but about compassionate action. [06:25]
2. What Defiles Comes from Within: Jesus teaches that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them, but what comes out. This challenges us to examine our hearts and the intentions behind our actions. Are we allowing God's word to transform us from within, or are we merely following external rituals? [04:10]
3. Caring for the Invisible: The story of adopting a foster child highlights the importance of caring for the invisible and marginalized in our society. True religion involves taking risks and making sacrifices to support those who are often overlooked. This aligns with James' call to care for orphans and widows. [08:21]
4. Hypocrisy vs. Genuine Faith: Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, focusing on external rituals while neglecting the heart of God's commandments. This serves as a warning for us to ensure that our faith is genuine and that our actions align with our beliefs. [14:44]
5. Balancing Hearing and Doing: Both Jesus and James emphasize the need to balance hearing God's word with putting it into action. This involves loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is not enough to merely listen; we must also act. [26:15]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:11] - Bible Reading from James 1
[03:10] - Bible Reading from Mark 7
[05:03] - Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment
[06:25] - Be Doers of the Word
[07:22] - Caring for the Invisible
[08:21] - Adopting a Foster Child
[10:24] - Challenges of Foster Parenting
[12:01] - Sneaky Parenting Tactics
[13:07] - Jesus and the Pharisees
[14:44] - Hypocrisy Explained
[16:01] - Jesus' Critique of the Pharisees
[17:16] - Methodist Tradition and Exclusion
[19:02] - The Importance of Covenant
[20:10] - Preparing for the Holy Spirit
[21:44] - The Dangers of Avarice
[22:46] - The Jesus Revolution Movie
[24:43] - Modern-Day Exclusions
[26:15] - Balancing Hearing and Doing
[27:45] - Spraying Love and Grace
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. James 1:17-27
2. Mark 7:1-23
#### Observation Questions
1. According to James 1:22, what does it mean to be a "doer of the word" and not just a "hearer"? How does this relate to caring for orphans and widows? [01:11]
2. In Mark 7:15, Jesus states, "There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." What examples does Jesus give of things that come from within and defile a person? [04:10]
3. What was the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus and his disciples not following the traditional hand-washing rituals? How did Jesus respond to their concerns? [03:10]
4. How did the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment serve as a metaphor for what we put into our bodies and what comes out? [05:03]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does James emphasize the importance of being "doers of the word" rather than just "hearers"? How does this concept challenge modern Christian practices? [06:25]
2. Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their focus on external rituals. What does this reveal about the nature of true faith and religious practice according to Jesus? [13:07]
3. The story of adopting a foster child was used to illustrate caring for the invisible and marginalized. How does this story align with James' call to care for orphans and widows? [08:21]
4. How does the concept of hypocrisy, as explained by Jesus, apply to contemporary religious practices? What are some modern examples of this kind of hypocrisy? [14:44]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you are more of a "hearer" than a "doer" of God's word? What specific actions can you take to change this? [06:25]
2. Jesus teaches that what defiles a person comes from within. Are there negative thoughts or behaviors in your life that you need to address? How can you allow God's word to transform these areas? [04:10]
3. Think about the invisible and marginalized people in your community. What steps can you take to support and care for them, following the example of adopting a foster child? [08:21]
4. Examine your religious practices: Are there any rituals or traditions you follow that might be more about appearance than genuine faith? How can you shift your focus to the heart of God's commandments? [13:07]
5. Consider the concept of hypocrisy in your own life. Are there ways in which your actions do not align with your stated beliefs? What changes can you make to ensure your faith is genuine and consistent? [14:44]
6. Reflect on the balance between hearing and doing God's word. How can you better integrate your faith into your daily actions and interactions with others? [26:15]
7. The sermon mentioned the importance of preparing ourselves to "spray love and grace" into the world. What practical steps can you take this week to fill yourself with God's word and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you? [20:10]
Devotional
Day 1: Active Faith in Action
Description: James calls us to be doers of the word, not just hearers. This means actively caring for those who cannot care for themselves, like orphans and widows, and keeping ourselves unstained by the world. True religion is not just about rituals but about compassionate action. James emphasizes that our faith should be evident in our deeds, reflecting God's love and mercy to those in need. This is a call to move beyond passive listening and to engage in tangible acts of kindness and service. [06:25]
James 1:27 (ESV): "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
Reflection: Think of a specific person or group in your community who is in need. How can you actively show God's love to them this week through a concrete action?
Day 2: Inner Purity Over External Rituals
Description: Jesus teaches that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them, but what comes out. This challenges us to examine our hearts and the intentions behind our actions. Are we allowing God's word to transform us from within, or are we merely following external rituals? Jesus' message in Mark 7 calls us to focus on inner purity and the condition of our hearts, rather than being preoccupied with outward appearances and traditions. [04:10]
Mark 7:20-23 (ESV): "And he said, 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.'"
Reflection: Reflect on your daily habits and thoughts. Are there any areas where you need to allow God's word to transform your heart and intentions?
Day 3: Embracing the Marginalized
Description: The story of adopting a foster child highlights the importance of caring for the invisible and marginalized in our society. True religion involves taking risks and making sacrifices to support those who are often overlooked. This aligns with James' call to care for orphans and widows. By stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing those who are marginalized, we reflect God's inclusive love and compassion. [08:21]
Isaiah 1:17 (ESV): "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
Reflection: Identify someone in your life or community who is often overlooked or marginalized. How can you extend God's love and support to them in a meaningful way this week?
Day 4: Genuine Faith vs. Hypocrisy
Description: Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, focusing on external rituals while neglecting the heart of God's commandments. This serves as a warning for us to ensure that our faith is genuine and that our actions align with our beliefs. Jesus calls out the Pharisees for their superficial adherence to religious practices, urging us to cultivate a sincere and authentic faith that is reflected in our daily lives. [14:44]
Matthew 23:27-28 (ESV): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
Reflection: Examine your own life for any areas where you might be acting out of habit or appearance rather than genuine faith. How can you align your actions more closely with your beliefs?
Day 5: Balancing Hearing and Doing
Description: Both Jesus and James emphasize the need to balance hearing God's word with putting it into action. This involves loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is not enough to merely listen; we must also act. This balance is crucial for a vibrant and effective Christian life, where our faith is demonstrated through our deeds and our love for others. [26:15]
Luke 11:28 (ESV): "But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'"
Reflection: Consider one specific way you can put your faith into action this week. How can you demonstrate your love for God and your neighbor in a practical and tangible way?
Quotes
1. "Now today we have some interesting readings. In James, we are called to be doers of the word, not just hearers. Now some people right now, look at Christians and see people who sit for an hour on Sundays in a pew hearing God's word. And then they don't see a whole lot happening in the rest of the week as the people leave the church and go about their daily lives. That hurts. That hurts. that disconnect has been part of the reason why a bunch of people have stopped coming to church." [06:25] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Pure religion is care for orphans and widows, unstained by the world. Now caring for widows and orphans, that's a phrase that often comes up in the Old Testament, but also in Jesus' time. Widows and orphans were the invisible people of that time period. They had no blood relatives left. You were legally obligated to care for your blood relatives, but you didn't have to care for anyone else." [07:22] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "So my husband and I are like, Okay, in today's world, here in the United States, who are the most invisible people in our society? And as we talked about this, we realized that older foster kids are about as invisible as you can get. Past the age of five, almost no foster kids get adopted. They might have homes, but they're never adopted into a forever family." [08:21] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Are we paying lip service to God's word, or are we putting God's word into action? With our Mentos candy, we dropped it into soda bottles and we got a humongous spray from the chemical reaction that happened. What would we look like if we prepared ourselves that the moment the Holy Spirit comes into us, we are spraying out love and joy, peace and grace?" [20:10] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "I'm afraid, especially these days, a lot of us are spraying fear and anxiety, dread and worry a whole lot more than we are spraying joy and peace, love and grace. In the list of the bad stuff that comes out of Jesus, out of people that Jesus gives us, there's quite a collection of items and some of these are words of stuff that we don't talk about very often these days." [21:13] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Jesus in this reading is turning us back towards the central focus of God. We are to love God with everything in our being. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to love the widows and the orphans, the people who are not like us, the people who have a different life experience than us. We are stopping saying we love God only and putting our words into action and showing our love to our neighbor." [25:44] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "Jesus taught us to be partners in building God's kingdom. We take God's word and we put it into action. We balance hearing and doing. We balance between taking in God's word and letting the Holy Spirit spray love and grace out of us. We put our words into action like giving money to people like our offering today during worship out in the tent." [26:15] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "Jesus is right. What often comes out of us is often a mess. We are hypocrites and our selfish and greedy and prideful desires often come out, spray out, and make a mess of the world. But Jesus is the solution. God sends Jesus into us and we become more than we ever thought we could be. When we allow God's word and spirit into ourselves we are more useful to God's kingdom and good sprays out of us." [27:14] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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