Bible reading James 1 22 25 1 Corinthians

Bible reading: § James: 1: 22 -25

1 Corinthians 11: 23 -27

Man in the Mirror James: 1: 22 -25 December 8, 2019

Quick Check How many Christians stood in front of the mirror before stepping out today? Is there anyone that was totally satisfied with their first image e. g. make up, tie, hair? Is there anyone that saw an abnormally in their image and ignored it? Is there anyone that strongly feels that a mirror is useless?

Mirror defined Merriam Webster defines a mirror as ‘a polished or smooth surface (as of glass) that forms images by reflection, something that gives a true representation’. A mirror is one of the most important personal care tools, sometimes available in the hand bag of ladies A mirror is practically irreplaceable in our lives and the reality is that we need the mirror more than we can ever imagine

Spiritual Mirror Described The word of God, revealed in the Bible can be described as our spiritual mirror James: 1: 22 -25: “ 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 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; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does”.

Fact about a mirror We practically cannot go through a day without steering at ourselves in the physical mirror Why do we fail to imbibe the same use of the spiritual mirror?

Why is the mirror important?

Mirrors Increase a Room’s Appeal The addition of a mirror can help a room look more beautiful and pleasant. In the same vein, we as Christians are meant to increase the appeal of any where we step into by our good examples, not just by our physical beauty. Matthew 5: 13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men”. The more we examine ourselves in the spiritual mirror and make the necessary amends, the more we become a better seasoning for the world.

Mirrors Maximize a Room’s Lighting While a mirror can easily double the appeal of a room through its reflection, it can also increase the brightness of a room. So also Christ has confirmed that we are the light of the world. John 8: 12” Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. " Matthew: 5: 14 -16‘ 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. ” If we allow the word of God to dwell in us, then we project the light of Christ and illuminate the world that we live in.

Mirrors Keep You Looking Sharp Mirrors reveals our Imperfections and helps us make amends. After a meal, a person may glance in a mirror to ensure he or she doesn’t have anything on their face. If we allow God’s word to dwell in us and we keep looking into it day and night, then we will be right with him. 2 Tm: 3: 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. James: 1: 25: ‘But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. ’ We most times fix the abnormalities we notice immediately and double-check to confirm that the issue has been truly and properly fix. How often do we look into the spiritual mirror to identify inadequacies in our daily lives, with a view to fix our spiritual weaknesses, thereby looking spiritually sharp in the sight of God?

Mirrors provide safety Can you imagine driving a car without any mirror? The mirror makes us aware of our environment when driving, hence keeping everyone safe on the road. So also is God’s word if we keep it in our hearts Psalms: 119: 11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. John: 10: 27 -28: 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Biblical examples – King David’s adultery and Prophet Nathan’s use of the mirror - 2 Samuel 11&12 David ignored his primary responsibility of leading his people, rather he choose to stay back and this marked the beginning of his woes He committed adultery with Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11: 2 - 4 and in order to cover up his atrocity, he committed murder by killing Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband 2 Samuel 11: 15 - 21. James 1: 15 “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” David obviously thought that was the end of the sin until Prophet Nathan approached him with a mirror, 2 Samuel 12; 1 -13.

Biblical examples – King David 2 Samuel 12: 5 -13 “So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity. " 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. '” David eventually saw himself in the mirror and acknowledged his shortcoming “ 13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord. " And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ”

Parable of the wedding garment A typical example of someone that failed to use the mirror can be seen in Christ’s parable of the wedding garment in Matthew 22: 114 The Parable of the wedding garment is another way God spoke to the disciples, and by extension the Christians of today i. e. you and I Though the king had invited a lot of dignitaries that failed to honor his invitation, he still had a dress code for anyone that would attend the wedding ceremony One would have thought the man in this parable had done well to honor the king’s invitation by attending the wedding, but he failed in the sense that he didn’t look at himself in the mirror to confirm that he had the correct garment

Parable of the wedding garment The king saw the man without the correct garment and ordered that he be thrown out of the party. This could be any one of us if we also fail to continually examine ourselves. Matthew 22: 11 -14: “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? ' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ”

Our required garment Ephesians 6: 11 -17 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Our required garment

Call to action As the year is rapidly running to an end as we begin to plan for the New Year 2020, it is also meant to be a time of reflection and self-examination in front of our spiritual mirror The bible has all that we need for life and godliness. 2 Peter: 1: 3: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. We only need to keep looking at this mirror and make amends where necessary as this will help us to keep looking beautiful and sharp in God’s sight

Call to action Today is the 49 th Sunday of 2019, hence approximately 96 Sunday lessons/sermons had been preached and heard in this congregation Have you changed any abnormally in your life after hearing these words? 2 Cor. 13: 5 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified”

Call to action for our friends BAPTISM CONFESSION ROMANS 10: 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved MARK 16: 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned STEP 5 REPENTANCE BELIEVE THE WORD MARK 16: 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned HEAR THE WORD ROMANS 10: 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. STEP 1 STEP 2 ACTS 2: 38 A ; Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; STEP 4 STEP 3 No matter how good looking we might be in the physical mirror, if we fail to obey the gospel, then we will continue to look ugly in the spiritual mirror and God will not be pleased with us unless we surrender our lives to him.