James condemns all arrogant presumptions in future planning (business, travel, etc.) that do not factor in God’s sovereignty or our transientness. Future planning and investments are not wrong, but arrogant self-confidence and boasting are. Christian faith, therefore, always leads us to say: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

James turns to the root cause of conflict and dissension in the church: our own selfish ambitions and unmet desires fracture the faith community with quarrels and fights. In fact, my own sinful passions can block answered prayers, lead to enmity with God, and set up a base of operation for the evil one. Only faith, as it repents and submits wholly to God, receives the grace to live in Christian harmony.

James transitions to sins that cause dissension in the Christian community. He begins by addressing the destructive power of the human tongue. Such a small piece of flesh can cause profound damage on a much larger scale, including a world of unrighteousness! Only faith in the living Lord has the power to tame our tongues and to use them as instruments of blessing rather than evil and cursing.

James continues the theme that hearing/faith naturally results in doing/works. True, good works are not the basis of our salvation in Jesus Christ/faith; however, good works are the necessary result and fruit of our faith in Him. Conversely, faith that is not accompanied by action/doing is useless and dead. Why? Because genuine faith in Jesus cannot be alone; it always incubates works (with its source in the living Christ)!

James shows the fundamental faith-gap when Christians are partial in their treatment of other people, be it race, gender, or wealth. There is no place for favoritism or discrimination in the life of faith; both transgress our Lord’s love command, whereas “mercy triumphs over judgment.”

There is a difference between loving Jesus and loving like Jesus. If we love people who are nice to us or who see things like we do or who believe and behave like us, but we ignore the rest, that’s like reading every other page of the gospels and thinking we know what Jesus says. Loving like Jesus means loving everybody, including people who make me afraid; people who are wrong according to the Bible; and people who disagree with me. Arguments, big words, lectures, finger pointing, or being the loudest voice in the room won’t change people, only Jesus and His love in and through us will. Agreeing with Jesus is cheap, walking in obedience is costly. Moreover, our brains can fool us into thinking that hoping to help our enemies is synonymous with actually helping them. If I only pretend to care for hurting people, rather than actually doing something to help them, then I settle for hoping rather than helping. In Jesus, God drew a heart around the world and said everybody’s in. [witch doctor illustration on pg 9] Why not carry water bottles, McDonald’s gift cards, hand/feet warmers, etc. in our cars. Which enemy is your chance to resurrect Jesus’ love? To love enemies is also to help them, not just learn about, be nice to, or tolerate them. Do we see our enemies as obstacles to be avoided or as opportunities to demonstrate Jesus’ love?

Resurrecting Jesus’ love means seeing people the way that God does. While we tend to see people’s problems, personalities, and imperfections, Jesus only sees people. Period. Jesus loves people without distinction. He does not see the political, racial, gender, economic, national, international, denominational, etc. differences that divide/separate us. Rather, He sees people whom He dearly loves and died for, and He meets every person at the same ground level - grace! The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to see our neighbors without distinctions. As I think about putting Jesus’ words into practice, do I make my opinions - even my beliefs - more important than the people Jesus made? As I work with the Holy Spirit to resurrect His love in my life, there’s no school to learn how to love my neighbors, just the people and homes next door.

To resurrect Jesus’ love among us, we must constantly be on-guard against a real “love blocker”...our sins against one another! Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:21-35 help us place our constant need for free and full forgiveness between us and our neighbors in perspective by emphasizing the magnitude of our debt before God. Resurrecting Jesus’ love means giving away the love and forgiveness which He freely gives us. It’s time to stop holding things against other people, lest the world see a church and steeple filled with people pointing fingers at each other.

Have you ever looked at a package before buying it to see what is and what is not included inside? A free trial period? Batteries? Lifetime updates? Brownie mix? Sharper? Extra razors heads? (Give an example) In our text today, loving like Jesus doesn’t come with a stage, an audience, a platform, or glamour, but with a small towel to keep on our waists. (Give an example of a time when you saw that kind of love in a mom or grandma [selflessly cleaned up a horrid mess or cared for a sick person at risk to their own health]...love that comes with a small towel and seeks no recognition for it). Here’s another powerful illustration: Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope. Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him. Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers…." Now Father Damien wasn't just helping them; in selfless love, he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together. How much more God’s love in Jesus Christ: God came to earth with a towel around His waist.