Sermons

In the 1800’s there was a tightrope walker named BLONDIN. A story is recounted of Blondin crossing over the Niagara Falls on a tightrope, which he reportedly did several times. At one of these times he turned to his audience and asked them, “How many believe I can walk across this tightrope over the Falls pushing a wheelbarrow?” They were sure he could. Then he asked, “How many believe I can push a wheelbarrow
across the tightrope with a man sitting in it?” Again, a loud encouraging cheer. Blondin then pointed to one of the most enthusiastic men in the audience, and said, “Okay, you get in the wheelbarrow.” The man declined with a nervous laugh. There is often a great difference between belief, or the faith we SAY we have, and the action of faith we really have. I believe in Jesus, but do I exhibit faith in Jesus? We are going to coin a new verb today. You understand faith as a noun this morning, but hopefully you will see it more as a verb today: Faithing.

Are you becoming like Christ, or are you making Christ like you? James is writing to Christians who are scattered and under persecution. His concern is for their hearts not to be robbed of joy and filled with damaging anger. His concern is for their understanding of their stance with a holy, gracious, and unchanging god; how they need to emulate him in heart and life even in suffering. He reminds them that they are servants of a gracious king – his hope is for the name of Christ to be glorified in the lives of his subjects.

We are to imitate Jesus in life. But will we choose imitation or temptation? Trials produce perseverance, leading to a maturity and completeness in Christ; lacking
nothing. So, trials = testing = perseverance = maturity & completeness = the crown of life. In that process God showers us with wisdom, not finding fault with any of his
children.