Thank God for James, the Lord Jesus’s younger brother. Thank God for his no-nonsense straight talk. And for all the straight talkers who call a spade a spade. Those who care enough to speak the truth. What good is it if we fool ourselves with worthless religion? Why gain the whole world and lose our souls?
I thank God in Heaven that He listens to our prayers. I know that God listens to our prayers. And I thank God that He does not judge us in His anger. God's justice is loving, good, and pure; He’s slow to anger, merciful, and just.
Notice here that God desires us to be just. Like Him. He wants us to be great listeners, self-controlled, deliberate talkers, and slow to get angry.
There are imperatives here. We must get rid of the filth and evil in our lives. Bitterness. Lust. Greed. Laziness. Pride. Arrogance. Lack of concern for widows, orphans, prisoners, and people in need of rescue, care, and provision. Lies. Half-truths. False-fronts. Etc. Let’s get rid of it. It has no place in the life of the man or woman of God.
Be content with God’s Gift, the word God has planted in our hearts. As believers in Jesus Christ, God gives us His true word. He plants in our hearts the Law of Christ, the royal law that sets us free. Humbly accept it. It is a treasure beyond all measure. God’s word, His truth, His promise planted in you has the power to save your soul. There is nothing more important than that.
And not only must we listen to God’s word - and not reject it, we must be obedient. We must do what God says. Otherwise, we are just fooling ourselves (1:22).
God needs no man. Every man needs God. In this chapter, we are reminded about loyalty to God. Fidelity. Faithfulness. How do you know loyalty? By action. If we are not loyal to God He will not answer our request for wisdom. Such people will find themselves like the vines described in Ezekiel 15.
It is a humble honor to be a child of God in this short life. Everything in this world, our investments, houses, jobs, healthy bodies, and achievements will fade away. As part of the human condition, we learn humility as God Grows our character.
As Saint Francis of Assisi knew, the man who wants nothing but a relationship with God can appreciate and take joy in all of God’s creation.
We are quick to criticize. But oh, the wrath of the person who gets criticized. No one likes to have their sins confronted. Yesterday there was a popular journalist and political commentator (a Jewish woman in Florida) who claimed that another woman’s testimony about Jesus Christ was nonsense.
The journalist said the performer on Only Fans was irredeemable and that her so-called testimonial made a mockery of morality. But does it?
The journalist is wealthy, self-righteous, combative, and rude. That’s her schtick. So be it. But what about her theology? Some Christians on social media jumped in and tried to explain to her that everyone is a sinner and that even the journalist herself needs God’s salvation. She didn't buy it. Not for a second. She quickly got defensive. Others pointed out her hard heart and warned her of her arrogance. Others then chastised anyone who criticized the journalist as “unloving.” I found the whole discussion fascinating and instructive of the current spiritual battle in our culture.
You know, the journalist is right, to a small degree. Some people are indeed irredeemable - but they are not who the journalist thinks they are. It is certainly not the repentant prostitute.
From my reading of Scripture, there are two categories of irredeemable people. The first is the person who dies in their sins - that person hears the Good News of God but rejects it. He or she does not want God, they love darkness.
The other category is comprised of those who deliberately continue to sin after receiving knowledge of the truth of God (Hebrews 10:26). But it is never ever for us to decide who is irredeemably lost. Eternal judgment is the realm of Jesus Christ alone. Only God can decide “those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us” (Hebrews 10:29).
We see time and again in Scripture God confronting people’s sins. God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). To bring them to repentance.
We see in Ezekiel 16 God confronting the harlot, the people of Jerusalem. God confronts their detestable sins. God calls out Jerusalem’s pride and arrogance, adultery, prostitution, idol worship, and other sins. Jesus yearns for the people of Jerusalem to repent and come to Him (Matthew 23:37-39).
It is healthy for the Christian to have our sins confronted. In this walk, as a new Creation in Christ, we must daily confess our sins and regularly share in the Lord’s Supper to remember what Christ has done for us.
Likewise, it’s healthy to hear how those with hard hearts see the Gospel. They see it as foolishness. They do not understand God’s righteousness. They think that they are okay because they think they are better than other people - lowly sinners. We are all sinners! We all need a Saviour.
God is not soft on sin as some accuse the Christians of believing. We don’t believe that at all. God disdains sin. God says of the ancient people of Sondom (just as He could say of many of our cities today), “Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door” (Ezekiel 16:49).
Be honest with God today. First and foremost about our own sin. And pray that all prostitutes, idol worshipers, gluttons, and arrogant people (all people) will hear God’s message of forgiveness through repentance and righteousness in Jesus Christ. God’s Gospel exposes man’s wickedness and the Holy Spirit's power restores anyone who repents and believes. Anyone.
God never changes. He desires righteousness today just as He did from the beginning. We are challenged and called to listen, understand, and obey God.
May we never forget what we’ve heard and received from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Happy Sunday! May God richly bless you today!
Lord Jesus, please help us to know you, your law that sets us free, your might, your mercy. And help us today to do what you say to do, to care for those in distress, and to refuse to let the world corrupt us. We love you, Lord King. Amen.
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