James 1:22-24,26 (NKJV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was….If anyone among youthinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
As Christians, we are saved by grace through faith. We have been blessed with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and are seated in the heavenly places with Him. The spiritual life as a believer begins with learning to be seated with Christ as our identity. After that, we need to stand on what we believe and live out the spiritual truth by acknowledging that we are a new creation. To think and behave differently requires plenty of mind renewal.
Like a common person who marries royalty, all believers in Christ have become the children of the King of kings. Therefore, we also need to make adjustments to our lives. The Bible is like a mirror, and the Holy Spirit has been assigned to teach us how to live our lives as royalty in this world. This new identity will affect how we think, carry ourselves, behave, and live.
The Apostle James talks about controlling our tongue and being watchful with what we say because the tongue is small yet a powerful tool (James 3:3-8). We need to submit to authority, especially in the office, because we are being watched constantly by unbelievers and believers alike. If we have been watching pornography and don’t want to break away from it, we are living in deception by asking God to deliver us from lust but refusing to deal with it decisively. Instead, we need to put our lust at the altar of God and decide to give it up completely because we have the authority over our own lives. If Jesus has set us free, we are free indeed.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV) Grace and r be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to godliness in this life. The Word has also revealed to us the exceedingly great and precious promises that we have been set free from sin and the bondages of sin. The divine nature is found in the spirit man which is the new creation. Therefore, as believers, we stand on this belief and conviction and begin to live it out actively in our daily living.
Sermon Series: Faith with works
照镜子与听道
雅各书 1:22-24, 26 只是你们要行道，不要单单听道，自己欺哄自己。因为听道而不行道的，就像人对着镜子看自己本来的面目，看见，走后，随即忘了他的相貌如何。……若有人自以为虔诚，却不勒住他的舌头，反欺哄自己的心，这人的虔诚是虚的。
作为基督徒，我们得救是本乎恩、也因着信。在基督耶稣里，我们得享一切属天的祝福，并与耶稣一同坐在天上。基督徒的属灵生命始于学习适应与基督同坐席的身份。然后，我们需要站立在自己的信仰之上，承认自己是新造之人，活出属灵的真理。为了使思想和行为有别于旧人，我们需要大量的心意更新。
如同一个嫁给皇族的平民，所有在基督里的信徒都成为了万王之王的孩子，因此我们也需要对生活作出相应的调整。圣经就有如一面镜子，而圣灵已经被差派了来教导我们如何在这世界上作为皇族来生活。这个新身份将会影响我们的思想、举止、行为和生活方式。
使徒保罗在雅各书里警示我们要制伏自己的舌头，谨慎我们口所说出的话。因为舌头虽小，却是个威力强大的器具（参考雅各书3:3-8）。我们要顺服权柄，在职场尤其需要如此，因为我们时时刻刻都处在周遭的非信徒以及信徒的审视之下。如果我们沉溺于观看色情片，却不想摆脱它，那我们就是生活在欺骗中–一面祈求 神把我们从情慾中解救出来，一面却拒绝果断地对付它。相反，我们需要将我们的欲望摆在 神的祭坛上，并决定完全放弃它，因为我们拥有掌管自己生命的权柄。如果耶稣已经使我们得自由，我们就真的自由了。
彼得后书1:2-4 愿恩惠、平安，因你们认识神和我们主耶稣，多多的加给你们。神的神能已将一切关乎生命和虔敬的事赐给我们，皆因我们认识那用自己荣耀和美德召我们的主，因此，他已将又宝贵又极大的应许赐给我们，叫我们既脱离世上从情欲来的败坏，就得与神的性情有分。
神的神能已经将我们这一生中所有关乎生命和敬虔的事赐与我们。神的话语也向我们揭示了祂极其伟大又宝贵的应许，就是我们已经摆脱了罪以及罪的捆绑。与神有分的性情是在灵人身上找到的，灵人是新造之物。因此，作为基督徒，我们站立在这信仰和信念之上，开始积极地在每天的生活中把它活出来。
讲章系列：有行动的信心
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