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💭 Consider this: Are you in the practice of questioning your motives? What gives you confidence that your service is not simply a “form of godliness” without an inner transformation?

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“the true test of a man’s spirituality/saving faith is this: “

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📣 “Based on all the things I've done, am I not a spiritual person?” 🤔

Though Christian lives cannot be void of works, works are not the starting point. In this conclusion of the first chapter, the Apostle James cautions against the self-deception of putting trust in acts that are just that—acts. How, then, should one ascertain true spirituality versus superficial, religious practises? It must start in the heart, then extend outwards.

The truth is, outward acts of religion are empty without inward transformation. But this inner transformation would not go unnoticed, rather, the transformation of the believer’s heart would be evidenced through our speech, love and morality.

📄 Follow along with this sermon's transcript: https://www.bethelbpc.com.au/sermon-database/are-you-transformed-by-the-word

📍 Sermon Outline 00:00 Trailer 01:15 Introduction

05:30 ARE YOU TRANSFORMED IN YOUR SPEECH?

20:29 ARE YOU TRANSFORMED IN YOUR LOVE?

33:05 ARE YOU TRANSFORMED IN YOUR MORALITY?

41:55 Closing Prayer

45:30 Reflection Questions

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Highlights

Do you think God does not know whether we are truly spiritual or not, whether we are pure and undefiled or not? We may tick all the boxes, we may answer all the questions, we may appear to be spiritual, but inwardly, our hearts are filled with impurity, corruption, contamination, hidden agendas, and personal motivations. Who can ever know? God knows.

So James was speaking to these people that there is the danger of deceiving oneself in being a hearer only and not a doer of the Word. But there is another danger of deceiving oneself with false religious doings. The doings are not bad in themselves. It is the delusion in believing that by doing certain things, by certain practices, it can make one religious. In other words, there is this danger of believing in the external superficial practices but with no inner transformation of the heart. Because if the heart is not transformed, it doesn't matter what a person does. At best, it is just an outward show of spirituality; at worst, it is hypocrisy.

James was not against what a person does, but he was going beyond the physical practices and into the heart, the transformation of the heart. It is not what a person does that makes him spiritual, but it is what he does that comes from a transformed heart that makes him spiritual.

Today, there are some people who believe that if they attend church regularly, if they carry their Bibles wherever they go, if they are familiar with all the hymns, if they participate in all the fellowship group meetings, if they are active in their services, if they give of their tithes and offerings on a weekly basis, they are considered religious. Well, all these spiritual activities are good, but they have no spiritual value apart from true saving faith. And this true saving faith comes from a supernatural transformation in the heart that will make all these spiritual activities meaningful and valuable. Otherwise, they mean absolutely nothing.

The believer whose heart is transformed, it is like a good treasure and out of it will come forth good things, referring to the things he says—words of love, comfort, encouragement, edification; words to build up, not to destroy; words to heal, not to hurt. But the unbeliever or the professing believer whose heart is not transformed, it is like an evil treasure, and out of it will come forth evil things—words filled with hatred, anger, strife, lies, blasphemy, gossip, slander; words that are critical and judgmental; words that will cause division.

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The true test of a man's religion, the true test of a man's spirituality — for that matter, the true test of a man's saving faith is not in his ability to speak; it is in his ability to control his tongue. Dear friend, are you someone who is transformed in your speech, in that you are able to control your tongue? Remember, if God has transformed your heart, He will also transform your speech as well.

Some people do help others, but they only help those people whom they expect to return their acts of generosity. They invite those people to their homes, expecting that they would invite them to their homes in return. They give gifts to those people, expecting to receive gifts from them in return. They visit those who are sick, expecting that they would visit them when they are sick. God does not want us to do that.

He wants us to love without expecting to be loved, to help without expecting to be helped, to give without expecting to receive. That is what pure and undefiled love is. That is the religion of the Bible. That is what it means to be a Christian.

How can the believer who has been washed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ worship Him, serve Him, sing praises to Him, evangelise to others about Him with a dirty life, living a life that is polluted by the world? God forbids.

are you transformed by the word or just outward show of spirituality?

The world wants to entice us; the world wants to make us embrace its values, its morals, its philosophies, its entertainment, its pleasures. The world wants us to build our securities in the things it offers us. As believers, we must constantly resist it. In your workplaces, there are things you must constantly resist. It could be company dinners, functions, dinner and dance, or ungodly conversation. In your schools, there are things you must constantly resist. It could be ungodly activities or worldly friends. There are places we must constantly avoid; there are habits we must constantly fight against. Why? Because we do not want to be polluted; we do not want to be stained by the things of this world. We are living in the world, but we are not of the world.

are you transformed by the word or just outward show of spirituality?