Good afternoon and welcome to WolfPoet Ministries Sunday sermon here on Blog Talk Radio. You can find us on the net at www.wolfpoet.net and www.mychurch.org/WolfPoet-Ministries . The call in number here is (347) 945-5241. The chat room is up; you can log in and chat there as well. We will take prayer requests at the end of the service. All are welcome. I am Reverend Laura A. Neff; the Rainbow Minister and today’s sermon is a discussion on the book of James. Now this one’s involved, and it’s going to take a lot to get through and I want you to realize, James was a straight shot writer, he did nothing but give it to you in the one-two punch formula. Opening Prayer ~ Dear Lord, we thank you for bringing us together here. We thank you for the ability to bring the Word and Gospel to others through this portal and the others that connect with it. We thank you for the fellowship and the peace this affords those of us who have had difficulties maneuvering through the world at large these days. We pray that you watch over the list of us who have been ill and those of us who travel to new places. We pray that the situation in the economic world does not bring more harm than good. We pray that those legislators who are working for the greater good are doing just that. We pray that those who are fighting for freedom will benefit from Your Holy Spirit, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen and so it shall be. Our opening song is ~Tell It All Brother ~ by Kenny RogersThe very first chapter of James is a sucker punch you may not be ready for. I’m using the King James Version because it is the most literal and the most accurate for this particular book. James1:1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:
Greetings.Now, here it is said James is a bondservant. In those days, the early days of Christianity, a bondservant in this view, James sees himself as a servant to God and the Lord Jesus Christ, this regardless that James was the half brother of Jesus. In this case, Lord means “master” or “sovereign” and the verse shows us that WE have to recognize that Jesus is Lord, Master, Sovereign over all, and our path toward God the Father of Creation.James is talking to the Christians of early Christianity, but his message is meant to penetrate into the minds and actions of those who continue through as devout and true Christians. The book of Exodus shows us what a “bondservant” truly is. Exodus 21:5 But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. A bondservant was one who was freed, but made a willing choice to indefinite slavery. Slavery is a strong word, more like voluntary servitude toward Jesus. This is what James professes of himself and his connection to Christianity and its existence. Now, James probably was not his name, he was probably Jacob or something similar. The name James is most often connected to the potential that the Bible version was written for King James. How can we walk the walk and talk the talk as the title of this sermon asks? There are many verses that show us just exactly what the Epistle of James is discussing here. Matthew 7:21-23 helps us answer the question of whether we can truly be the servant of Jesus if we do not recognize Him as “Master” or “Sovereign”. Listen to the words of this verse. Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’Now you see, it says, not everyone who calls Jesus Lord can enter the kingdom of heaven, because just to recognize Jesus means little, to “do as Jesus did” means much more. When you see those anagrams, WWJD, and think seriously about those four letters, you understand the truth that is behind the words. It means, you have to DO as much as you KNOW in relation to Jesus and God and the life they wish us to lead. We need to believe heart and soul and prove it by saying and doing. Our next song is ~ Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord ~ Randy Travis John 7:3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.Read this short directive. It shows that even though they hear the words you say, they must see you in action, and everyone knows the phrase, “actions speak louder than words” because they’ve seen proof of that in other forms. This verse proves that if you are Christian, your actions will prove your beliefs. I’ve seen it myself, folks, I’ve done it myself. It’s never “truly understood” until you walk the walk and talk the talk. James 1:1 is a truly powerful start to a very short and to the point discussion that rarely, if ever, pulls any punches. We must open the eyes of our hearts, as Randy Travis so eloquently puts it. We must see, feel, and understand the truth as it has always been, that Jesus our Savior was brought to us by God the Father for our eternal Salvation as part of the promise God gave us in the days of Noah. Matthew 13:55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?James 1:1 refers directly by whom this epistle is written, James, and refers us back to this verse in the Gospel of Matthew where it discusses his lineage. Again, James is an “Anglicized” name, given to the brother of Jesus, and though we aren’t 100% positive, it is generally assumed his name was actually Jacob, who, like Jesus, was a carpenter’s son. James was the elder “half-brother” to Jesus. There is rare mention of his age in comparison to Jesus, but there is archaeological proof of his very existence. James, like his parents, believed in the Messiah with his entire being, and believed, with everything in him until the day he died, that Jesus, his brother, was and is the Lord and Savior of all. This belief was more than just in his words it was in his actions, in his reactions, and in his soul. That is how powerfully the words of this little epistle will strike you if you study them fully. If you have ever had the feeling that you’ve found something that really holds more than just a little meaning, and gives you something to look forward to, that is the power of God and Jesus flowing through you. It is the part of the walk that makes you want to talk the talk of salvation. This verse shows us James began believing just about the same time his parents did. The next two verses will help us in this understanding. Galatians 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) This is Paul talking here. He sees James, and calls him the Lord’s brother. That’s a powerful image in and of its self, and is referred to in just the first verse of James Chapter 1. It is amazing what can be found in this one little verse, and how much it allows us to see, just in the simple words James brought to us. I Corinthians 15: 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.Now the first thing you’re thinking is why did James get seen after the first view by the apostles and after five hundred brethren but before the significant view by the apostles? Good question. The brethren Jesus appeared to, is show to us only in few words, brethren being fellow Christians and Jews who believed. James gets a personal view of His risen Lord, why?And so, this is a perfect spot to have a song, our own personal view of Jesus is interesting, and it is a revelation to each of us, that Jesus is a personal entity, a personal part of each of us. This is where Johnny Cash hits home with his song Personal Jesus.Our next song is ~Personal Jesus ~ Johnny CashThis leads us right into the Gospel of Luke 6:46-47 but I’m going to expand it so that it explains more for your understanding. I will include through verse 49 of the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”Read this, you can “name” Jesus Lord and Savior, but if you don’t “do” what He says to do, by following in the path of Jesus, and showing others how to follow the path, then you are merely talking the talk, and not walking the walk. That’s a favorite in business terms, but its accurate here in spiritual talk as well. You can’t just say you’re a Christian, a follower of Christ, if you stop doing Christian things when you step through the church doors, or even your very own front door, depending on the style of church you attend. The “rock” in Jesus’ time was nothing like the “Rock” is to us now. I’m sure you’ve seen the “Rock” in the movies, Walking Tall and Scorpion King and others, and if you ever asked him why his name is “Rock” you’d probably be surprised. It has nothing to do with Jesus at all. John 14: 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”Now these two verses give us a lot, but keeping the commandments sometimes seems too hard for us. The commandment we must keep the most, is to be faithful to the Father in Heaven and to be faithful in our Belief of Jesus Christ as the Savior and the Risen Lord. Now, I expanded a little on the next verse set for several reasons. First, it is one of the single most amazing sets of verses in the New Testament. It has been used over and over again. I myself truthfully have turned back to this set of verses hundreds of times to remember who, what, why and how we are to be as servants of God through the love of Jesus Christ. John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.Our next song is ~ I Have Decided~ Amy Grant II Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;This tells us when James began truly to believe in the power Jesus held and holds. It tells us that we all have to be “willing to believe, to live, and to sacrifice” in our path with Christ as we walk the walk and talk the talk. This is a powerful thought, found only in this single verse, would be so many references to past doctrine and known gospel that we must truthfully dissect it syllable by syllable to understand it. This refers to the fact that he served only the Master and had no will but that of the Master, believing fully in what the teachings of Jesus meant then as they do now. I Corinthians 7:22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.James shows us here, as it refers in I Corinthians, that he now believes so much that he willingly becomes a freeman of Jesus, a willing servant of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as he walked toward salvation and talked to others to lead them in the same path as we see in the tiny epistle here in the New Testament. This verse refers back to James 1:1 by titling Jesus as the power by which James could walk the walk and talk the talk. True followers, or slaves of freedom through Christ, share His power. This sentiment is repeated in Ephesians, Colossians and II Timothy. Ephesians 6: 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. II Timothy 2: 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,You have to be willing heart and soul to follow the path of Jesus, you can’t just follow to be following. Like I said, you have to walk the walk AND talk the talk. Laboring isn’t like working in the fields doing backbreaking work, it’s sharing what you learn as you travel in the path of Jesus, and that’s a series of lessons we all learn, and some of us who fall off the path show others how we found the path once more. That shows others that even if we get lost in the wilderness we can again find the path through the Word, like a lamp at our feet as the Bible says. Now the next thing you’re going to ask me has to do with honor and rewards. Both of these are spoken of often in the Bible, we will receive honor if we are honorable in the words spoken, in the life lived, and in the actions made. This verse shows us how. John 12: 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.This verse shows us that as long as we FOLLOW, in the footsteps of Christ, as a servant, giving everything of ourselves into following His words and deeds, then we shall be honored by the Father in heaven. Now, that’s pretty to the point, and gets us right where we live doesn’t it. Every person we speak to about the salvation of Christ, leads us toward that very honor, every step we take in that path Christ laid out for us brings this honor toward us even more. Colossians 3: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.In the first verse of James, we learn a great deal, the things we learn show us that as we give our lives to Christ, and trust Him to take care of our trials and tribulations, the trials and tribulations yet to come are easier for us to bear. We don’t think about this as we try to ford through life on our own, “Oh, I can handle it” is our attitude most of the time. If we could handle it without God and Jesus, we wouldn’t get in trouble. That is what these verses show us. Do it heartily as the Lord, not unto men. That’s what Colossians 3:23 tells us. We have to work with our whole heart walking the walk and talking the talk. Through the Lord, of the Lord, by the Lord, we shall receive the reward of inheritance in heaven with Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now I know you’re wondering why I concentrated everything on one little verse in the tiny epistle of James, but in this short book of five little chapters are the “common sense” and “straight forward” methods toward understanding Jesus. I’ll post on the blog where to find the full study of the book of James that this sermon refers to. James may only have been the mortal half brother of Jesus, but he learned truthfully what “believing is seeing” truly means. He shows us how to walk the walk and talk the talk in what amounts to four pages of my large print King James Version of the Bible. I want to tell you a story here, but I think I’ll break for now and let you listen to a song that tells us we must love to tell the story. This is Alan Jackson I Love to Tell the Story I haven’t truly told you much about the reason I walk this path. God and Jesus often give us unusual routes in life, but we have to fight off our own demons, our own fears and failures in faith to find the path that we’re supposed to take. When I was a child, we often spent time searching for the “right fit” in a church, and, more often than not, we spent Sunday at home without that spiritual enrichment. This happened more and more, especially after my youngest sister was born. It was tough for us to be accepted because we were so different. For one thing, in a neighborhood where one out of every five families had two children or less, we were the oddballs. At fourteen, I was the eldest of eight children, and at twenty, I was the eldest of nine. Between the ages of eleven and twenty my family and I were “Catholics” because of one incident that turned us away from yet another church. I’ve mentioned that incident. I turned away from Catholicism when I heard the priest say that my mother and father were to blame for things that were beyond their control. God created my youngest sister through conception for a reason. She was a great teacher; wise far beyond the eleven years of life she lived, innocent beyond all expectations, and amazing. It was because of my baby sister, I believe, that in my first months of college I found a tiny group of “actors” in a club titled P.D. Clown Alley, which stood for Polka Dot’s Clown Alley. I was one of six “Clowns for Christ”. When they asked us to pick our names, like Bubbles and Faith and two others, I didn’t close my eyes and ask, I lifted my tried and true New International Version of the Bible closed my eyes and set it on the table in front of me. It opened to one spot in the Bible, the book of Genesis. Genesis 9:16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."And so, that’s when I knew God had a reason for me being there. It was to bring part of my heart and soul back. So, I brought the rainbow that I loved so much anyway for its very existence, into my heart fully, and became Rainbow the clown of Christ, sharing God’s words with others big and small. But then, you have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. I taught the lessons of Rainbow for nearly two years before life again got in the way. I had to leave the security I found within the little group of P. D. Clown Alley and return home, because I no longer could fund my voyage into further education at that time. So, Rainbow went into hiding as I all but buried myself in books to escape the view of “same old same old” I had at home. My sister was a singular bright spot in that time, and she reminded me all the time that the rainbow was more than what it appeared. She never truly knew how right she was, or I guess she didn’t. The hope she gave me carried on through my wedding day and the birth of my first child. The look of wonder on her face the day she held her niece for the first time is an image forever engraved in my memories. That is where this first verse of James strikes me, it shows me that the walk may not always lead us where we want to go, but where we must go, to talk the talk of Jesus. Rainbow went completely dormant on January 31, 1993, the day my rainbow turned into a dark gray cloud, the day that little sister flew into the arms of Jesus as He loves all the little children in this world. I didn’t realize then that her sunshine, her love, and her amazing wisdom lives forever, in those who remember her, just as Jesus lives forever, in those who believe in His existence, His miracles, His love. So, though I let my rainbow fade into the background, it was never completely gone. This was proven when Rev. Teresa went through the one passion we share, writing, looking for manuscripts, of which I have many more these days than in previous days when I met her. It was 2006 and in just a few weeks, we learned how very similar we are, despite the age difference, where we grew up and so forth. Our belief system is similar, though not identical and because of that, WolfPoet Ministries was revived and brought together anew, and Rainbow Minister, that’s me, came back because the realization that others feel like I do about God allowed that promise to be reborn and to gain in resonance. This verse tells you why I know that I have a path to walk and a talk to talk. It is this verse that tells me what the covenant of the rainbow truly reflects, and this path James portrays for us truly is leading us to. Now, I still have my demons to fight on occasion, many times I have to fight old emotions that well up after an incident that triggers the memories. Others, I’ve noticed, go through the same thing. This verse should give all of us hope.Revelation 4: 3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.James shows us so much, and proves to us so much, that we alone cannot often see, but through the eyes and wisdom of others, we see just who we are in the words and actions Christ brings to us as we walk that walk and talk that talk. This is the word and the light as brought to us through Jesus Christ, Amen and so it shall be.Closing Prayer ~Dear Lord we thank you for bringing so many to the message that allows us to walk the true path toward righteousness. We know that being righteous was never meant to be easy, only meaningful. We pray that you extend the healing of your Holy Spirit toward those who need it, and as you know who those people are, Lord, we simply offer them up to you. Dear Lord we thank you for giving our leadership the ability to compromise and confirm to help find solutions to devastating chaos. We thank you Lord for watching over those soldiers who serve in the field. We thank you Lord for watching over those who have been left here to wait for word on their family members who are soldiers in far away places. We are blessed in Your Holy Spirit Lord and in the ability to share Your Love with the world. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen and so it shall be.Our Profession of Faith and our Invitational is Jesus Take the Wheel ~ by Carrie Underwood ** Programming note - some of this was changed or summarized due to time issues on the radio show. I want to thank Wayne Bartosh profusely for leading me to this wonderful book. The link I used came from his collection. I'd like to share it with you here, along with the permanent link to the sermon. Be blessed, Rev. Laura A. Neff - The Rainbow Minister
http://www.russpickett.com/james/james01b.htm
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Reverend-Laura/2008/10/05/WolfPoet-Ministries-If-Youre-Gonna-Walk-the-Walk-You-Gotta-Talk-the-Talk-
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