Walk the Walk

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  September 22, 2024

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Read  James 3:13 – 4:3, 7 – 8 (MSG)

Once again, the Lectionary draws our attention to the book of James... a book that you may recall is sometimes referred to as a “how-to” book on Christian living.  And this morning, as we take a closer look at our New Testament lesson, I want to invite us to think on the subject: WALK THE WALK.
 
Most of you know that I frequently refer to the Message Paraphrase because of its plain language.  It helps to look at different versions of the Bible to gain clarity on various subjects and to help put things into perspective.  And that is why I chose to use the Message as the basis for today’s sermon... to help us put things into perspective as it pertains to how we should be living as Christians... in other words, how we should be prepared to WALK THE WALK.
 
A couple of weeks ago, I was gifted with a book entitled “Holy Moments” which was written by a gentleman named Matthew Kelly.  In the book, the author recounts the story of being asked to sum up the Christian life in just ten words.
 
The ten words he chose were: YOU WERE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, ACT ACCORDINGLY (M. Kelly, 2022, p. 96).
 
This morning, I want to suggest that we can distill those ten words even further down to just three... WALK THE WALK. 
 
Simply put, as Christians, our lives ought to be a visible representation of the faith that we profess as we seek to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and do what Jesus would do.  As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”
 
And that calls to mind a story that I came across several years ago in the introduction to the Book of James in The Inspirational Bible (edited by Max Lucado). 
 
It is one that I think bears repeating and one that seems particularly fitting as we reflect on our text for today:

Francis of Assisi once invited an apprentice to go with him to a nearby village to preach.  The young monk quickly agreed, seizing an opportunity to hear his teacher speak.  When they arrived in the village, St. Francis began to visit with the people.
 
First, he stopped in on the butcher.  Next was a visit with the cobbler.  Then a short walk to the home of a woman who had recently buried her husband.  After that a stop to chat with the teacher.  This continued throughout the morning.  After some time, Francis told his disciple that it was time to return to the abbey.
 
The student didn’t understand, ‘But we came to preach,” he reminded him.  “We haven’t preached a sermon.”
 
“Haven’t we?” questioned the elder. “People have watched us, listened to us, responded to us.  Every word we have spoken, every deed we have done has been a sermon.  We have preached all morning.”  (The Inspirational Bible, 1995, p. 1409)

Now along with that story, there is a brief commentary that follows it which says:

James would have liked that.  As far as he was concerned, Christianity was more action on Monday than worship on Sunday.  “My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing.  Can faith like that save them?” (James 2:14).
 
His message is bare-knuckled; his style is bare-boned.  Talk is cheap, he argues.  Service is invaluable.
 
It’s not that works save the Christian, but that works mark the Christian.  In James’s book of logic, it only makes sense that we who have been given much should give much.  Not just with words.  But with our lives.
 
Or as St. Francis is noted as saying, “Preach without ceasing.  If you must, use words” (The Inspirational Bible, 1995, p. 1409)

In other words, we need to WALK THE WALK... not simply talk the talk.
 
And in today’s text as we read in the Message Paraphrase, James provides us with three steps that should help us do just that – he says we are to “live well, live wisely, [and] live humbly.”
 
So, what does that mean... to live well? 
 
Let me suggest, living well does not mean living high off the hog... or living “the good life” according to worldly standards.  It is not a measure of status or success... at least not in the way society defines success. 
 
Living well means living life with the intention of making God proud... of doing the work that brings glory and honor to God – not to ourselves. 
 
It means being willing to put the needs of others ahead of our own by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
 
Essentially, it means living according to what Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians... we are to “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
 
To live well is to love God and to love the people of God, just as Jesus commanded us to do.
 
So, the first step we need to take as we WALK THE WALK is to live well.
 
Then James says we are to live wisely.
 
To live wisely means to live in a manner that exemplifies godly character... living a life of integrity that produces the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” (Galatians 5:22).
 
As the Life Application Study Bible commentary explains, “True wisdom can be measured by the depth of a person’s character.  Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act” (Life Application Study Bible, 2005, p. 2095)
 
Living wisely means being ever mindful that there are always eyes upon us... people looking to see how we handle ourselves... watching to see if our actions reflect what we say we believe.
 
And the fact of the matter is that someone is always watching... even if we think no one else is watching... rest assured that God is watching.
 
So, living wisely is not about living up to someone else’s standard... it is about living up to God’s expectations and doing what is pleasing and acceptable to Him. That is why Paul wrote to the Colossian church and said, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). 
 
So, as we WALK THE WALK we have to first, live well... and second, live wisely... then James says we are to live humbly.
 
It is in the book of Micah (6:8) that we find these familiar words, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
 
While in his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
 
And in the book of 1 Peter (5:5 – 7), we read:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

To live humbly is to live with the full understanding and acknowledgement that God is the One in control... not us.
 
We are not to think too highly of ourselves as if we have this thing called life all figured out (see Romans 12:3).  Because when we start to think that we have everything in control, we will soon find out that the complete opposite is true.
 
To live humbly is to recognize that we can no more pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps than we can cause the sun to rise in the morning or the moon to shine at night... we need the Lord... all day... every day. 
 
The Apostle Paul knew something about living humbly... as demonstrated by the story he told the Corinthians about a thorn in his side that he asked the Lord to take away three times... the Lord’s response to Paul’s repeated requests cut to the heart of the matter, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need.  My strength comes into its own in your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, MSG).
 
That was all Paul needed to hear... and his response ought to give us the impetus we need to live humbly as Paul did. 

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become (2 Corinthians 12:9b – 10).

Paul was humble enough to see that he was not operating in his own strength or power... but in the power of the Lord... and it is the same for us.
 
Now, turning back to our New Testament lesson... after James offers words of encouragement to live well, live wisely, and live humbly... he explains how we are not to live if we truly want to WALK THE WALK. 
 
James writes: 

It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

It is probably not a far stretch to say we know or have come across people who demonstrate characteristics like the ones James warns against... and suffice it to say, they are not the kind of people that we usually want to be around... and they are certainly not the kind of people that we want to be.
 
Thankfully, James gives us the antidote... the prescription for how we are to live:

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

“The hard work of getting along with each other... treating each other with dignity and honor...”
 
Some people do make it hard... almost like they are deliberately going out of their way to make it hard... but we cannot forget the words of Jesus that we find in Luke’s gospel (6:27 – 36):

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
 
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Talk about hard work... but it is very necessary work... work that is needed now more than ever... especially as we think about the escalating tensions around the world, across the country, and even right here in our own state... we definitely need all the grace and mercy we can muster.
 
I think we have all seen one news story after another about the rising hate and animosity that seems to have become the norm for so many... so, I won’t go into detail here... but what I will say is this... as followers of Christ, we are called to live a different way... a better way... to live well, live wisely, and live humbly... to be merciful as God is merciful
 
In his letter to the Romans (12:2), Paul said we should not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but we should be transformed... as he explained in his letter to the Corinthians, “...if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
 
As disciples of Christ... we are not supposed to live like the rest of the world... nor are we to live like we did before we came to know Jesus.  Our lives ought to look different once we have made the commitment to follow in Jesus’ footsteps... the commitment to love God and the people of God... the commitment to WALK THE WALK... to walk in love.
 
It is in 2 John 6 that we read, “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
 
At the end of the day, that is what it all boils down to when we WALK THE WALK... when we remember that we are made in the image of God, and we act accordingly. 
 
We have been called to WALK THE WALK... in love... as we follow the path that Jesus laid out for us.  Will it be easy... probably not.  Will it be worth it... absolutely.
 
So, if your desire is to WALK THE WALK and follow Christ... I want to invite you to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: Where He Leads Me #346.
 

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