Do as I Say, Not as I Do

Matthew 23:1-12

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2023%3A1-12&version=NIV;NLT

 

I think the first time I heard someone say that, it was a football coach, or it might have been a teacher. For sure, it wasn’t my Dad! He gave me rules to live by, held me accountable and lived them out in his own life.

 

In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus is speaking to those who are his followers. Later in the chapter his words are directed at the Pharisees, the teachers of the law and the religious leaders in general. It’s a scathing indictment of how they live their life, not by the Law of Moses which they preach, but by their own set of hypocritical rules.

 

Jesus’ primary concern was for those whose faith was sincere; for those who were trying to follow the law; for those who were trying to live by faith.

 

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. ³ So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. ⁴ They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.          NLT

 

Here are a couple of stories that I believe illustrate what Jesus was teaching his followers:

 

Years ago, my wife and I opened our home to a young man that I had worked with while in full time ministry. He lived with us because he had nowhere else to go. I remember him making a statement once when I asked him about making a decision to follow Christ. He responded, “I could never be as good as you”.

 

Apparently, somehow I had given him the impression that to be a Christian

required more than just belief and faith. It required living a certain lifestyle of being “a good person”; of being “a nice guy”.

 

In Keith Miller’s book, The Taste of New Wine, he tells the story of meeting a young woman who was considering faith in Christ. During the course of their conversation he tells her that God loves her unconditionally, just as she is. Her response to him is, “So your church will love me just as I am? Because I live with my boyfriend.”

 

There may be people in your life that don’t follow Christ. Think about how your life impacts their decision for, or against, Christ? Do they feel like they can’t live up to your standards? Or do they see that Christ came to save broken people; that you are one of those broken people; and that he loves them just as they are.

 

For us, it all boils down to these words:

 

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”     Matthew 22 NIV

 

  

 

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Walk the Walk

James 2:14-26

(The 2nd of two devotions.)

 

 

“'Walk the walk' is almost always said in combination with 'talk the talk'. This is a 20th century American alternative to various old sayings which epitomize the notion that 'talk is cheap', 'actions speak louder than words' and 'practice what you preach'.” (Taken from www.phrases.org)

 

It seems like this is what James was saying to the early church when he wrote, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” And then, “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”.

 

To make his point James gives this example. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”

 

This reminds me of the parable that Jesus told about the sheep and goats. In this story the King told the righteous that they had fed him, given him drink, invited him in as a stranger, clothed him, cared for him and visited him in prison when they did it for the “least of these”. In other words, they ‘walked the walk’.

 

As evidence that faith results in action, James gives two examples from the Old Testament. The first was Abraham, the father of the Jewish faith. Any self-respecting Jew would find no fault with him. But the second is Rahab, a prostitute. Even though she is an acknowledged sinner, her faith was visible by her actions.

 

Driving his point further that faith leads to actions, James makes this statement, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe and shudder”. In other words, believing, or having faith, is not enough unless the appropriate actions follow.

 

Listen to the words of Jesus on this topic of action and deeds: “So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you are faithful to what I have said, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!” Later in the book of John he said this, “If you really love me, you will keep the commandments I have given you…”

 

To walk the walk requires action. It requires obedience. It requires good works. But to

do it requires a loving relationship with the Living God that is fleshed out every day, every hour and every minute. As you walk the walk, keep this verse in your mind and heart:  ^“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”