Law Gives Freedom Part 2

Over the past few days, we have been looking at a passage which for me in one word speaks about obedience! Being obedient in prayer is a good quality to have. This one phrase "The law give freedom" tells us what happens if we choose to obey this perfect law. We will know freedom! There is one or two New Testament passages which speak about obeying the law.

Matthew 7:24
"Therefore everyone who hears these word of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock".

Romans 8:1-2
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Lord set me from the from the law of sin and death."

Law gives freedom part 1

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25


We have spoken about hearing and responding and this is what happening in our daily communication with the Lord. The passage here in James 1 talks about the law which gives freedom and the same phrase is repeated later on in James (James 2:12). When the law is spoken of in the new Testament we often think of the legalism of the pharisees. This is the negative side of the law. But take heart there is also a positive side of the law - the law gives freedom. If we start out in the Old Testament we see this.

Exodus 19:7-8
So Moses went back and summoned the people and set before them all the words the Lord had given him to speak. The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said" So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.

Psalm 19:7
"The law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are turstworthy, making the wise simple."

For me, Psalm 19 helps me to understand this phrase "Law gives freedom".
The law of the Lord is not legalistic but indeed is refreshment for our souls! In obeying God, there is freedom.

What does this phrase mean to you?

The inspection of the mirror

"And remember it is a message to obey and not just to listen to. If you dont obey you are only fooling around. For if you just listen and dont obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away and forget what you look like."
James 1:22-24

James like using little proverbs such as this one looking in the mirror but not doing anything to change your appearance. This couple of verses help us to unpack what the previous verse has said. It is also gives us a bit of a break by using an everyday experence to get the point accross.

Change has to happen and the questions we often ask:

What do I look like?
Having observed, how can I change to this or that?

Prayer: Lord we pray that you change us to reflect you more and more as we await your second coming.

Respond to what you hear

"So get rid of all the filfth and evil in your lives and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts. For it is strong enough to save your souls."

The previous verse has spoken about listening - listening to God! But is what is God saying? But we cannot come to his presence knowing that moral fiflth is so preevalent in our lives. This is what James is telling us. This means that a clean up has to take place. We need to get rid of all the filth.
Getting rid of the filth we need to humbly accept God's word. If we have heard and read God's how do we respond, do we respond by humbly accepting God's word?

James & listen...

"My Dear Brothers & sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry, Your anger can never make things right in God's sight?" James 1:19-20

Listen....

It is often said we were given two ears and one mouth for a reason yet so often we speak more.

Listen...

Listening is skill which we use in every day life

Listen....

Listening is something we need to do in prayer

Listen...

If we listen more, we speak less and get angry less

Listen...

We need so often to speak less and listen afresh to the small voice of God

Listen...

Our anger will not make us right before God

Listen...

Rewind back to James

Hoping to dip back into James again over the course of this month in particular with the theme of prayer in mind. To follow old post on James - please follow the label James at the bottom of this post.

Prayer & Faith

Yesterday the sermon at church was on Faith looking at the classic chapter on faith and being encouraged to look forward in faith and to tell our story of faith.

Hebrews 11:1
Now Faith is the assurance of the thing hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.


Faith needs to be exercised in prayer and as we feel led to take action we exercise faith again. But yet in both it is the fear of the unknown as accrostix points out: "Forsaking all, I trust him". Praying Lord, I do not know every single detail but I do trust you.


James 1: 6
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

Wrong Motives (James)

What are our motives in prayer?
This is what James speaks:
James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

What does this verse say? It says that we should pray according to his will and not in order to fuflfil our own selfish desires. This is a struggle as this world tells us to be independent and professional.

Lord we pray that you would help us to pray "let your will be done!"

James & Prayer

Having spoken about James & camel knees - what does James have to say about prayer? There is a few things which speak prayer:

James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures

James 5:13-18
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
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Other posts on James:
James & his camel knees
No Resentment!

James & his camel knees!

You are maybe wondering what this post is going to be about with a title like that. James is a book in the Bible. According to tradition, James had camel knees . Camels (dessert animals) are said to have thick calluses on knees from all the kneeling that they do. According to traditions, James was constantly kneeling before the Lord in prayer. Tommorrow night, our church homegroup will begin looking at this wee book of James. It is amazing that there is many a pearl of wisdom in this wee book. Lots of things for us to chew over, think over and ultimatley hope that we are changed by the reading and studying of this book.