“We’re Expecting – Part 1”

Text – James 1:16-21

 

I. Introduction

A.    How is/was your relationship with your father?

1.     Answers to that question of course run gamut:

a.     Some never even know father.  A few who do wish never had met.

b.     But most would agree: Relationship with father great blessing!

2.     Most any psychologist will tell: relationships with parents crucial building block of whole personality.  So w/your indulgence, a story about my Dad.

3.     Dad taught me to drive twice.  Tell you how that came to be.

4.     I was 31, I think, when bought my favorite of all cars have yet owned.

a.     Was bronze-colored 1988 Dodge Daytona.  Was thing of beauty!

b.     Only had 4-cylinder 2.2-liter engine. 

c.      But looked like going 90 mph just sitting there!

d.     Was just one problem.  When bought, couldn’t drive it.

5.     That was b/c had 5-speed manual; till that day, only driven automatics.  But Dad…graciously agreed…accompany on little adventure...pick up.

a.     So we set out from dealership with him driving Daytona; me following close behind in whatever Ford…

b.     Now quickly obvious that Dad a little confused by all gadgets in unfamiliar car.  First I saw windshield wipers…passes…not drop…

c.      Then saw fuel fill door pop open on left rear fender.

d.     But though may have been bit perplexed by some: those secondary controls on car, Dad had long ago cracked code of very mystery that till that day had eluded me: Intricate hand-eye-foot coordination necessary to operate steering wheel, gearshift lever, clutch, accelerator – all simultaneously!

6.     So headed couple of miles down road to very same high school parking lot where – some 15 years earlier! – had taught me to drive the first time.

a.     For next hour or so, jerked/bounced our way around parking lot.

b.     If I stalled out my poor new car once, must have… dozen times.

7.     What I remember most re: that day: interplay between student/teacher.

a.     Dad kept yelling at me: “More gas!  Easier on the clutch!!”

b.     For some reason that struck me as funny.  Here I was – grown man – and he was yelling at me!  I guess was really . . . 

c.      Very comforting, in way, to know: Dad would always be my Dad!

8.     Somehow clutch in great little car…survive all abuse heaped on that day.

a.     In fact, survived more than four years, close to 100,000 miles till cold February night when totaled car on snowy road.

b.     But far more important: Relationship with Dad survived all the yelling and laughing.  In fact, no doubt: grew stronger.

9.     I hope you have rich treasure store of stories like that about your father!

a.     They’re all threads in tapestry, tiles in marvelous mosaic of one of most crucial elements of our lives.

b.     But more crucial even than relationship with parents: That with eternal heavenly Father.

B.    Few weeks back, Jan: great idea, our Advent focus this year: We’re Expecting.

1.     And since are to be 3 parts to series, thoughts naturally ran to Trinity.

2.     Next week, Jan plans…H.Spirit.  Dec. 23, my assignment: God the Son.

3.     But today, question would pose to you: How are you expecting to grow in relationship with God your Father this year through Advent?

4.     The inspired wisdom of James assists us in that direction:

5.     Christmas reminds us that our relationship with our Father God rests not on anything we can ever give to Him, but rather on the overflowing abundance of what He gives us in Jesus Christ. (REPEAT.)

6.     Lots of ‘Rs’ today!  Our relationship with God is founded on what He has done for us (esp. in Christ).  Foundation: what God has already done.  

a.     But then question re: Our relationship w/God: our response to what He’s given.  Can’t fully understand from few verses in James…

b.     But what James has to teach us today…expressed best in three more Rs: Remember.  Restrain.  Receive.  Let’s look briefly at each.

 

II. Remember.  Need to remember always: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from

     above, coming down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17 NLT).

A.    Can be easy to forget when sun shining and all’s well w/small personal worlds.

1.     As Jan reminded last week, Moses warned an Israel about to take possession of Promised Land: day would come when would forget Who was source of all blessings enjoyed in Canaan (Deuteronomy 8).

a.     Would look around at all abundance of that good land, tell selves: Was b/c of their own cleverness, hard work >> material wealth.

b.     Would forget: all blessings: ultimately good gifts of heavenly Father.

c.      In time, Moses’ words of warning: all too prophetically true!

2.     Reality: We live in Promised Land of vastly greater material abundance.

3.     So temptation that much greater: Will forget: God is Source: all we enjoy.

4.     Just like Israel of old, tragically often we too forget.

B.    But may be even harder to remember God gives all good gifts when snow flies, storms of life roll in.

1.     Many unbelievers may think hardships of life: strongest argument against existence of God of Bible.

2.       The 18^th century Scottish skeptic philosopher David Hume: “Either God is not all-good or [H]e is not all-powerful, otherwise [H]e would have rid the world of evil.” (quoted in Gordon Poteat, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 12, pp. 28-29.)

3.       Even those of us who are believers may often find selves – when passing through valley of shadow – questioning power or goodness of God (both?).

a.     But that’s only b/c haven’t yet learned 1^st lesson James has for us.

b.     We fail to look around at abundance of blessings – material, spiritual – that surround us even in hardest of times.

c.      We fail to even see those blessings, so of course forget Who is Source of all those good gifts.

4.     In recent issue, WORLD Magazine essayist Andree Seu wrote piece that gave as good an answer to all this as any I’ve seen lately.

a.     Speaking of unanswered prayer (particularly in the context of her own struggles with chronic insomnia).  Said:

b.     “This is the best I can do with unanswered prayer.  [God’s] possible answers seem to be ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘you have no idea what’s going on behind the curtain of your sensate (SEN-sate) reality, so you best make up your mind once and for all – I do love you.  Will you trust Me?” (Andree Seu, WORLD Magazine, October 6, 2007, page 47.)

C.    Friend, know of certainty: We can trust God, precisely because is Source of every good and perfect gift.

1.     Christmas proclaims that life-giving truth to us.

2.     Need to remember it – hold on to it for dear life, especially in the storm.

 

III. Second: There are clearly times when our best response >> God’s goodness: Restraint.

A.    In words of today’s OT lesson (Jan), psalmist asks:

1.     “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?  I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.  I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people...I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.”

(Psalm 116:12-17 NKJV)

2.     Acknowledges richness of God’s gifts to self; asks: what response?

a.     Concludes: That response must be built on obedience to God’s revealed will, His holy law.

b.     We need to recognize: Big part of that obedience: Restraining sinful tendencies.

B.    James singles out two enemies within us that desperately need to be restrained.

1.     One is tendency to talk too much.  > > > That’s an evil - - -

a.     James himself addresses in more depth later in letter (3:1-12).

b.     But is also one Bible discusses repeatedly.  For example, Proverbs:

   When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise. (10:19 NIV)

   There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks without thinking. (29:20 NLT)

c.      Even ancient pagan sages agreed.  Three or four centuries before Christ, the Greek philosopher Zeno: “We have two ears but only one mouth, that we may hear more and speak less.”

(quoted in William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, page 55.)

d.     This tribute once paid to great linguist: “He could be silent in seven different languages.” (ibid., pp. 55-6)

e.     You & I, if wise . . . pay attention to James – regularly restrain talk.

2.     But James also warns against danger of anger (1:19b-20).

a.     I suspect anger problem (one degree or another) for most of us.

b.     Did you know Bible lumps anger right in with vices such as lying, stealing, slander (Ephesians 4:25-31), sexual immorality, greed and idolatry (Colossians 3:5-9)?  As James says > > >

c.      “The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (1:20).

d.     When comes to anger, we all need to learn lesson of restraint.

C.    The dean of students at the university calls the football coach to let him know that they’re throwing his star player out of school.  The coach dashes over to the dean’s office and demands to know reason.

1.     The dean replies that they caught the player cheating on a math exam.

2.     The coach asks how they knew he was cheating.

3.     The dean says, “Coach, he was sitting next to a straight-A student, and the professor gave a pop quiz with ten questions.  The two papers had exactly the same answers on the first nine questions.”

4.     Coach replies, “Well, you know, that could happen.”

5.     The dean says, “Yes, that’s true.  But what really did your boy in was the tenth question.  The straight-A student answered that one, ‘I don’t know.’  And your star player put on his exam, ‘Me neither.’ ”  (Lowell Streiker, An Encyclopedia of Humor, page 382.)

6.     If that poor guy had learned just a little restraint, might have graduated!

D.   James reminds us:

1.     In examination of life there are those things in each one of us (e.g. excessive talking; anger) that need to be restrained.

2.     Learning by God’s grace to do so: Key part of response: all His good gifts. 

 

IV. Receive.

A.    James: “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (1:21).  Tells us that God “brought us forth by the word of truth” (1:18).

1.     Now if this word has such great power, clearly pretty important!

2.     What is ‘word’?  Bible (Colossians 1:5) makes clear: Truth of Gospel.  But there is more to idea than that.

a.     John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (1:1, 14 NKJV)

b.     John’s ‘Word’ of course – Jesus; John and James use very same term – logos.

c.      Is by none other than Jesus Christ that God brings us forth into new life; He whom we must receive to the salvation of our souls.    

3.     The Father of lights has given this best, most perfect of all gifts.  All we need do is to receive Him.  That’s easy, is it not?

a.     Well, yes and no.

b.     Certainly true: Christ Himself has done really hard work – in accepting all limitations of human flesh, esp. on cross.

c.      But still not easy for any of us, fallen as we are, to receive Him.

4.     Our hearts are hard, so hard for us to accept gift. 

a.     In fact, worse: Our hearts really dead, so impossible for us to receive unless and until God regenerates.

b.     It takes sobering honesty that only God can give; conquering humility only Holy Spirit can bestow.

5.     But all to whom God shows that amazing grace do receive the Gift – makes all difference in world, for this life and the next.

6.     So we can sing with John Newton: “ ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”

B.    American theologian Stanley Hauerwas:

     “Salvation isn’t what liberals or conservatives in this country think it is.  It’s about getting my life straight.  It’s not about ultimate significance.  Salvation is about an adventure that was made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, through which I am made part of a community who will tell me who I am.  You are not free to make up your life as a Christian.  Your life is not like a gift, your life is a gift.  That is a very important grammatical point.  Until you learn to receive your life gift, you are lost.  And people are lost.”

(Quoted in Christianity Today, Vol. 38, no. 6.)

C.    We’re fond of saying that Christmas is all about giving.

1.     From God’s perspective, that’s true.

2.     But from where we sit, Christmas needs to be about receiving Gift God gives, because apart from Jesus Christ, we truly are lost.

a.     Apart from Him, we really have nothing to give.

b.     But with Him, we have the whole world!

3.     Remember: every good and perfect gift does come from Father of lights.

4.     In response to all His gracious gifts, restrain those tendencies that do not honor Him.  But - - -

5.     First & foremost, receive the implanted Word which is able to save souls.

 

V. Conclusion     

A.    One day a number of years ago, two golfers stepped up to the first tee on the St. Andrews course at Ardsley, New York, one of America’s oldest courses.

1.     The elder one was a kindly man who played a thoughtful, deliberate game.  The younger man was full of pride and impatience.

2.     Was having terrible day right from first hole: sliced, lost his ball in the tall grass, shot another one, and had a score of eight instead of four or five.

a.     By second tee he began to fuss at caddie.

b.     Before long every bad shot was the caddie’s fault!

c.      At the end of the first nine holes, the young man was so enraged that he discharged the caddie and carried his own bag.

d.     “That caddie doesn’t like me,” he said to his companion,” and I’m %^&* sure I don’t like him.  Thank God he’s gone!”

3.     After the two had played several more holes without a word, the older player broke the silence:

a.     “Several years ago a little kid from Yonkers came up here and was taken on as a caddie.  He was a wonderfully sweet-natured boy; quick-witted, willing, and had a nose for golf.  Everybody liked him. His name was William; he had a club foot.

b.     But that didn’t affect his ability as a caddie.  It was a pleasure to go out with him.

c.      A certain famous doctor, a member of the club, became interested in William and took him South on a long trip.  When William returned, he went back to caddying. The doctor, however, had to give up golf shortly after that because of his health. 

d.     He died a few months later.

4.     One morning I was playing a round with William carrying my bag.  It was springtime and all Westchester County was alive with blossoms.

a.     William gathered flowers until he had quite a bouquet.

b.     ‘Who’s the girl, William?’ I asked.

c.      ‘I haven’t any girl, sir,’ he said sheepishly.  ‘They’re for my friend, the doctor – twice a week I take flowers to his grave.’

5.     “You see,” the man went on, “the doctor took him down South that winter and operated on his foot.  He made the boy whole again.  And William never forgot the doctor’s act of kindness.”

6.     “Now that’s a caddie worth having,” the younger man said. “What ever happened to this William?”

7.     “He carried your bag today for the first nine holes.”

8.     William’s life showed: Had learned lesson James would teach us.  Does your life?  Does mine?   (Bits & Pieces, October, 1990.)

B.    What are you expecting this Christmas?

1.     It’s a wonderful time for us to give.

2.     But that is not what Christmas is all about.

a.     Start with gifts we give, and all you have is Santa Claus.

b.     Build on foundation of what God has done for us, and can have it all.  Can have Jesus.

3.     Come now to holy table He has prepared, table that reminds us where every good and perfect gift comes from.

C. Prayer