As Pastor Dodd began his sermon, Debbie yawned and began scribbling a note on her bulletin. “Dear Carol,” she wrote. “Sorry I can’t study at your house tomorrow night. My mom and I signed up for an exercise class. I think it will be fun!” Then she added, “Much more fun than sitting here for an hour. What a drag!” Debbie folded the note and turned around to pass it, but when she noticed her mother frowning at her, she stuffed it into her Bible and read her Sunday school paper instead.

The next night, Debbie excitedly went with her mother to the big gym. She was impressed with all the exercise equipment available to them, and she had a great time trying it out during the class. “That sure was cool, Mom,” she said happily as they drove home. “I like using all that stuff. Maybe we can try out the pool next time.”

Mom yawned. “It sure made me tired,” she said.

“I’m tired, too,” agreed Debbie, “but it was fun. My muscles are a little sore, but

I feel good. I know that working out makes me stronger.”

Mom smiled. “I know what you mean,” she said with a nod. “I felt something like that after my workout yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Debbie frowned. “You didn’t exercise yesterday, Mom. It was Sunday. We just went to church.”

“I got a spiritual workout yesterday,” said Mom. “You missed it, though.”

“But, Mom! It was just a church service, and to tell the truth, I think sermons

are usually boring,” grumbled Debbie.

“They’d seem boring to me, too, if I just sat there and really paid no attention

to what was being said,” replied Mom. “I know it’s hard for little kids to sit still

and listen, but you’re old enough now to follow along and even take few notes.

If you do that, you’ll get more out of the message.”

Debbie shrugged. “Do you think so?” she asked.

“I know so,” said Mom. “You need to exercise your mind, just like your body.

You need the spiritual exercise that you can get by thinking about what God wants

to teach you through Pastor Dodd.”

How many of you received clothing for a Christmas gift this year? Did you know that when Jesus was born He gave us a gift that is similar to clothing? The apostle Paul talks about this in Colossians 3:12-17. We are to put on the garments of Christian grace.

The first garment of Christian grace that we are to put on is tender mercies. Tender mercy suggests the deep feeling of love that has to express itself in action. That action involves compassion. Compassion begins with pity, but it is more. Compassion is that deep remorse we have when we do something about our feelings of pity. We can feel sorry for other people and do nothing about it. Feeling sorry for others may result in our pitying them, but to be moved by others’ pain, to feel their situation so deeply that we seek to act on their behalf, is compassion.

The next garment of Christian grace that we are to put on is kindness. Kindness is tender goodness, goodness that is for the well-being of others. It is defined in Scripture as the virtue of the person whose neighbor’s good is as dear as his own. It can be hard work, and occasionally this may mean that we have to face difficult situations that drain us emotionally and physically, but kindness can’t grow without conflict and strife.

Another garment we are to put on is the garment of humility or lowliness. Humility has nothing to do with self-deprecation, or cowering back, nothing to do with self-disgust at our shabby lives; nor is it a downcast, brow-beaten stance. The humble know who they are in relation to God and other people. They soundly estimate their strengths and weaknesses. They do not flaunt them but take their place in God’s kingdom without fanfare.

We are also to put on the garment of meekness. Society has forgotten the meaning of meekness today. We don’t always admire meek people, but Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth. The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined meekness as the happy medium between too much anger and too little anger. A meek person is self-controlled because he/she is God-controlled. A meek person knows himself/herself and operates out of the realization of God’s control of his/her life.

We must also put on the garments of forbearing and forgiving. To forbear has the negative meaning of “to refrain or abstain,” or “to control oneself.” It also has the positive meaning of “bearing one,” or carrying. Forbearing and forgiving go together according to Paul. Forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel. At the core of our Christian experience of salvation is our acceptance of God’s forgiveness extravagantly provided through Jesus. Forgiven people must always be forgiving. As God forgave us, we must forgive others. Only forgiving people can be forgiven.

Choosing to forgive does not condone sin, excuse the wrongs done to us, or minimize our hurts. Offering forgiveness simply frees us to enjoy God’s undeserved gift of mercy, as we invite Him to accomplish beautiful works of peace-restoring grace in our lives and our relationships. Part of forgiveness is releasing the person from the debt we think they owe us. Refusing to let go of the hurt and pain someone has caused in our lives will always rob us of our joy,

The final garment we are to put on is the garment of love. Paul puts love at the top of the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22. Love is the fruit of the Spirit, and each fruit of the Spirit which follows in the list is another expression of love.

Putting on something such as love has to do with a deep and transforming inner experience which reflects itself outwardly. God’s chosen ones will not simply set aside the old life and its ways. They will display eight new characteristics, culminating in love-the bond of perfection that has the power to change the world. While humility is a grace that grows within a Christian’s heart, it is also a choice that believers make each day.

All of these garments knit us together in a legion of passion and love, of fear and hope, of jealousy and trust, of cynicism and goodwill, of indifference and concern, of distrust and awareness. How are all of these feelings to be arbitrated, to be harmonized? What feelings are to be given reign? What or where or who is the umpire to settle the clashes? The answer is to let Christ be the umpire. In Him, we have the key factor for our getting along together-the peace of Christ. To know about the garments of grace is one thing, to wear them gracefully is another.

Anyone who is joined to Christ is joined to all others who have a share in the new community. This does not mean that uniqueness and distinctiveness are obliterated; the church is not to be a nameless, faceless fellowship. The Spirit makes us one and in Christ we are of equal worth. We can’t grow into maturity in Christ Jesus without the encouragement, help, and even the needs of others.

In all things we are to be thankful. Being thankful is one sign of becoming like Christ. Paul shared four steps to becoming Christ-like:

1. Let the peace of Christ have the final say in our lives.
2. Make God’s Word part of our lives.
3. Be ministry-focused instead of self-focused.
4. Regularly express gratitude to God.

In view of what God has done through Jesus Christ for the believer, Paul described the behaviour and attitude God expects in response. The antidote to sin is to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus and to thank God in every word and deed. Praise and thanksgiving are barometers of spiritual health. Peace is Christ’s gift to His followers today and forever.

Christ doesn’t love us because of our merits. He knows we are sinners. He loves us just because He loves us. He gave Himself for us, unworthy as we are. In the same way, the love of Christ within us seeks to serve, not to be served.

Do you think church is boring–that it’s a waste of time because you don’t get anything out of it? Church is not a place to sit and daydream. It’s a place where true believers in Jesus meet to worship and serve God and to learn how to live for Him. Listen and pay attention. The more you put into it, the more you’ll benefit from it.

(An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/colossians-3-verses-12-17-the-clothing-christ-gives-us–63486813)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1675)
2. Dunnam, M.D., & Ogilvie, L.J.,: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.; 1982; pp. 375-384)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Xochitl Dixon, “Should I Forgive?” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
6. Mary Southerland, “The Freedom of Forgiveness, Part 1”. Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/
7. Dr. Robert Jeffres, “Count Blessings, Not Sheep.” Retrieved from drrobertjeffres@ptv.org
8. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Laughter Through Tiers.” Retrieved from TurningPoint@davidjeremiah.org
9. “Spiritual Workout”. Retrieved from www.keysforkids.org

The story has been told of a man who asked a minister to conduct a memorial service for his pet dog. The minister was irate. “We do not hold memorial services for dead dogs! You might try the church down the street.” As he turned to leave the man said, “I really loved that dog. I was going to offer a million-dollar gift for performing the service.” The minister spoke up, “Wait a minute, you never told me your dog was a Christian!”

We all do it. Whatever the defining factors are-race, denomination, political views, gender, economic class, or interests, too often we categorize people as “in” or “out.” These categorizations are demonstrated when we play favourites. The sin of partiality is one of the most subtle of all. Partiality reveals a non-Christian sense of values. James wrote in James 2:1-17 to warn believers of the sin of partiality and to remind us of God’s sense of values. He taught his readers to avoid partiality by observing three specific principles.

First is the example of the rich man who would enter a church service. He would be wearing fine clothes and gold rings. The human tendency would be to welcome him warmly and invite him to sit in the place of honour. James warned against this preferential treatment, arguing in James 2:6-7, “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” James stated that rich people should not be treated with any special honour or favour. True value in the kingdom of God has nothing to do with bank accounts, gold rings, or fine clothes.

Instead of honouring Jesus Christ, James’ readers were revering the rich and despising the poor. Instead of accepting people based on their faith in Christ, they showed favouritism based on appearance and status. Such choices allow evil to enter among believers. Our vision of God as the lover of all creation inspires us to welcome the stranger and uplift the impoverished. Beneath the exteriors of wealth and poverty and power and weakness, God’s Spirit lives. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us to treat the poor with grace and hospitality-with equality and hospitality-because our care for the creature and the Creator are one in the same reality.

James presented a second hypothetical example to illustrate his warning against the sin of partiality. He suggests that a poor man might come into the church dressed in filthy clothes. The tendency would be to treat him much differently than a rich person. James and Jesus tell us not to dishonour the poor, and to not put down a person simply because he or she is poor.

When James uses the term “my brethren,” he is about to point out something that his readers need to change in their lives. Here he denounces all forms of prejudice, snobbery, and lack of respect for people, especially with regard to the poor. The word “partiality” means “to receive the face” and describes the favouritism that was shown to the wealthy. Such conduct dishonors the Lord, who does not play favourites.

Earthly riches do not equal spiritual wealth any more than economic poverty indicates spiritual poverty. Those who love God, regardless of their earthly financial position, are rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Jesus calls on us to serve the ones who hate us; forgive the ones who hurt us; take the lowest place, not the highest; seek to serve, not to be served; retaliate, not in kind, but in kindness.

James emphatically states that mistreating the poor (or anyone else) does not just show a lack of respect, but it also violates God’s law. Here James refers not to just Mosaic law but to the law of God’s kingdom, which Jesus stressed throughout His earthly ministry. It is the law of loving a neighbour as oneself. James stressed in chapter 2 verse 8, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself,’ you do well.”

Jesus was anything but a snob. He never walked around with His nose in the air, reminding everyone that He was somebody special. He treated the Samaritan woman at the well as kindly as He treated noble Nicodemus. He was as gracious to a beggar and a prostitute as He was to Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue. James writes, “Act like Jesus Christ; think like He thought; live as He lived; treat others as He treated them.” The world says, “Treat people like they treat you.” Jesus challenges us to live with an entirely different attitude.

Most people whom God chooses to use are not rich or powerful. When Christians reject the poor in favour of the rich, they dishonor the very people whom God has singled out for special blessings in both this life and the next. Scripture tells us that the poor are precious in the Lord’s sight. James describes the faulty thinking of his readers. Here are the poor that God wants to bless, yet James’ readers ignore them. Here are the rich who are cheating them, yet James’ readers give them honour.

When we love another with Christ’s love, we are always at eye level. We can neither look up at another person nor down. Everyone who comes into our lives is on one level, whether rich or poor, bathed or unbathed, impressive or unimpressive. Love is the key to the Christian lifestyle. Love is the very essence of God. Jesus came to teach the importance of the life of love. In John 13:34-35, He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

This is the royal law of love. James states that this love is essential. He teaches us how to obey this royal law:

1. All of us have broken God’s law.
2. Only love can fulfill the law.
3. Only Christ can supply that love.

We can only fulfill this royal law when we:

1. Acknowledge that we have broken God’s law.
2. Discover that only the life of love can fulfill that law; and
3. Believe that only Christ can supply that love.

Then we must receive the gift of the Holy Spirit each day so that God’s love can live within us and flow from us to touch the lives of others. The law of liberty is not a series of separate edicts but a unified whole that ultimately calls God’s people to a life of love and mercy.

Verbal faith-faith that consists of words without actions-is insufficient. It cannot save, serve, or survive. But everyone profits when the love of God abides in the believer and is expressed through good works. When James asks, “Can faith save him?” he expects a negative answer, “Of course not!” A faith that does not demonstrate itself in works is not genuine. Although works do not earn salvation, they are necessary as the proof of genuine conversion. Real faith results in a compassionate life. Any professing Christian who refuses to help a brother or sister in need casts doubt on the integrity of his or her own faith. This person shows that he or she has never responded to the great mercy of God, and as an unredeemed person, will receive only strict, unrelieved judgment in eternal hell.

Faith unaccompanied by works was never alive. A workless faith is a worthless faith. As Martin Luther said, “It is as impossible to separate works from faith as it is to separate burning and shining from fire.” Saving faith must include deeds or works. Any faith without works is useless. Works can be placed into one of two categories. There are works of the flesh and works that are done with the help of the Holy Spirit which bring glory to God

The fruitfulness of our Christian life is not just the sounds we make or the activity we generate-what we say or how busy we are. As believers, we are no longer free to respond to people based on our feelings or emotions. We must choose to act according to the royal law.  Our fruitfulness is measured by what is actually produced in our lives-the fruit of the Spirit and our witness. Bible faith is always active faith, and active faith always results in something happening. It is inconceivable for those who are walking in the Spirit to say that they have faith if that faith is not translated into appropriate works of the Spirit in reaching out and responding to the needs of a brother or sister. In other words, actions really do speak louder than words.

An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/james-2-verses-1-17-actions-do-speak-louder-than-words–62149005

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp 1772-1773)
2. Cedar, P.A., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 34: James/1&2 Peter/Jude Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984; pp. 53-64)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1710-1712)
6. Jim Liebelt, “Playing Favorites.” Retrieved from www.crosswalk.com/devitionals/homeword/
7. Dr. Paul Chappell, “Productive Faith.” Retrieved from daily@dailyintheword.org
8. Vikki Burke, “Love is a Gift.” Retrieved from www.dennisburkeministries.org
9. Stephen Davey, “Don’t Be a Snob.” Retrieved from www.wisdomonline.org