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“Is You Is Who You See You Is?”
James 1:17-25, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a
doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself,
and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso
looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
Many people, as well as Christians, have mastered the art of mental and spiritual
camouflage in perceiving themselves as something they are not. We have a way of
overshadowing ourselves with make-up to hide all of the ugly features of our persona
making us look like someone totally different from who we are. Most of us don’t like
ourselves to well and we try to hide from the truth of the matter by getting all made up.
The world suffers from having some real people and the church is about in the same boat.
Real people who will tell you when you right as well to tell you when you are wrong. Then
there are real people who are willing to look in the mirror of life and call it the way it is
about their own life. Many people are in denial refusing to admit and accept who they
are. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that you must accept who you are if who or what
you are is not acceptable to God. What I mean is that unless you admit and accept who
or what you are, you will never try or move toward change. Until you come to the point in
your life that you recognize who or what you are, you will never be able grow into that
person that God wants you to be. Who or what do you see when you look in the mirror?
Do you see who or what you really are or do you see someone else?
Today, I would to speak to you on the subject, “Is You Is Who You See You Is?”
Back in the seventies the Dramatics, an R&B group wrote a song, “Some people are made
of plastic. Some people are made of wood. Some people have hearts of stone. Some
be evil and up to no good. But baby, I’m for real. I’m as real as real can get. If you’re
looking for real loving, then what you see is what you get.” There is a phrase also that was
said, “They think they’re all that.” The writer of the song lets us know that many people are
not who they perceive and present themselves to be when they look in the mirror. So
many of us have a falseness about our image that we cast in the world hoping that no
one sees the real me. The spout about who they are, but all the while on the surface they
are made of plastic and wood with a heart of stone. How do you see yourself today?
There must be a balance between what you see and what you think you see when you
look in the mirror of life in a negative way of denying who or what you are and in a
positive way of looking beyond the present circumstances and seeing a better future.
Never sell a bad piece of goods, but on the other hand never sell yourself short. Our
lesson today is to focus more on the negative effects of not seeing who or what you are
living in a real world with an Almighty, righteous, just and judgmental God watching over
us. Many have tried to put on a face especially in the Christian arena claiming to be
something that they are not. You remember the story that we preached about a few
weeks ago about Ananias and Sapphira. They claimed to be who and what they were
not and fell by the judgment of God because of them not recognizing their faults. There’s
another saying that we have said, “You must represent.” God expects us to represent Him
in all our ways when we claim to be a Christian. The Bible says in Colossians 3:17, “And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God and the Father by him.” God expects us to see the image of Him when we look in
the mirror, but if our life does not represent Him in word and deed, we don’t really see
what we see. We have learned to dress up on Sunday mornings and put on our Christian
face so that when we look in the mirror we see the good Christian when underneath is full
deceit and wickedness. The question is, how do you recognize and identify who or what
you are looking at when you look in the mirror? What are the criteria for looking for the
true you? What is the process of change that will cause you move into that glorified body
that God wants us to be? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Is you is who
you see you is?
In our text today, we find James, the brother of Jesus, leader of the Jerusalem church
writing an epistle to the Jewish Christians residing in Gentile communities to expose their
unethical practices and teach them right Christian behavior. James wrote this letter
because many that accepted Jesus professing to be His followers was living lives not
representative of their faith. The world that we live in is inundated with the same claims of
grandeur and greatness that many times do not come up to its promises. The airways are
filled with promises of miracle cures with drugs, lotions, ointments, heating pads,
shampoos, electrolysis and positive thinking that has commanded a billion dollar worth of
business. Products for cleaning everything from Kaboom, Oxyclean, Grease Lightning, Mr.
Clean and Mighty White promises to get the dirt out without leaving any stains. Even the
church television has gotten into the mix. Books, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s are being sold to
answer every physical, spiritual, psychological, mental and financial problem in the world
with just sending in three payments of $19.95. Politicians give us all kind of promises
before the election, but after taking office they forget all that they have promised. False
claims of Christianity without living up to its standards are in the same boat. Professing to
trust God and to be His people, many cling tightly to the world and its values. They
possess all of the right answers by having access to the word of God, but they contradict
the Gospel with the way they live their lives. James was faced with this type of behavior in
the churches outside of Palestine and with chosen words and with his energetic pointed
style confronted them about their unethical practices head on. Christians must not only
believe, but they must also live the life that is represented in His word. Our proof of being
followers of Christ is to live according to the examples that He set. We must reflect the
image of Christ in our lives by our behavior and practices. When we look in the mirror, we
must see Christ instead of a mask disguising us from who we really are. Is you is who you
see you is?
Our first point in our lesson is to be who you see is you must be born again. Our text says,
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he
us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.“ The Greek
words for “born again” is “Gennao (ghen-nah'-o), Anothen (an'-o-then) meaning to be
born from above, from a higher place of things which come from heaven or God. To be
able to be what you see you must have the gift of God, which is eternal life that comes
only from above. Before my conversion, I saw myself as a womanizer, a drug addict, a sex
addict, a wine bobber, a liar, a cheater, one who tried to get all of the gusto out of life; all
of this while going to church on Sunday because my Dad needed someone to take him.
Until Jesus came into my life and I experienced true conversion was I really began to see
myself for who and what I was. I wasn’t who and what I claimed to be. I had to have a
full turn from who I was into who God wanted me to be. You must learn to think differently
from what you use to think. When converted God will give us this new type of thinking that
will not change or have the desire to turn back to the old man. Jesus said, “No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” If the
blood of Jesus has changed you, you will not have the desire to look back. Your eyes are
set straight toward Him and you work each and every day to be more like Him. The
problem with many who have confessed is that have not been converted. Paul wrote,
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Many of us have words, but no conversion or commitment. True conversion brings on
more than just a warm feeling; it should bring on a heated desire to live for Christ. Your
heart should burn to live a Godly life as a husband burns to love his wife. You should have
more than mere words of love; you must show your love by your actions continually. True
love is more than a warm feeling for one another with smooth words; it must come from
God above. I truly believe marriages are made in heaven just as our relationship with
Jesus is made in heaven. Our love for one another must not have any variableness or
turning. We must experience a change, a conversion to love one and one only intimately
without turning back. Do you remember what Jesus said, “And said, Verily I say unto you,
except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven.” You will never be able to see the real you unless you yield to the
lead of the Spirit as a little child evidencing true conversion. Once you have been
converted, things don’t look the way they use too. Things look differently and at first you
don’t know the reason why. Then as you grow in spiritual maturity you began to see and
understand the purpose that God has for you and who you really are. Is you is who you
see you is when you look in the mirror?
Our second point is to see who you see you is we must put to death the old man in your
life to see the new man. Our text says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man
be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and
receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” As we
stated before to see the real you, you must do something. Just saying that you are saved
just won’t get it done. You must make an effort to utilize this new power that Jesus has
made available to you to put to death those things that use to plague your life. These
things will not go away easily! Some people experience a Damascus road conversion, but
most of us have to go through a gradual process of defeating the old demons that try to
continue to torment us. You must learn slowly how to deal with the old man to truly put
him to death. James gives us the process steps in how to deal with this old man. First of
all, he tells us to be swift to hear. The greatest asset to any Christian is the strength of the
elders that have travel down the road that you are traveling. Listen to them to learn how
God worked with them in getting over their problems. Listen to the wisdom of their lives to
give you strength to face the daily temptations that come against you. Call them up
when the tempter come knocking on your door and listen to them, be slow to speak and
slow to get angry if you fall. If you fall, get up and keep marching forward. Many a good
soldier will fall, but he won’t stay down. The problem with us seeing who we are has to do
with not totally putting away the old man. If we put on godliness, we are promised never
to fall and if we are about to fall God will send His angels to minister unto us above what
we need. Peter also warns us to make our election sure; don’t waste time turning on your
brothers and sisters. Don’t turn your wrath on them when they open up to you about their
downfalls. This will only make you justify your errors and remain in your sin. They gave you
their confession to strengthen you and you began to use it as a crutch for your own
weakness. If you want to get angry with someone, get mad at yourself when you look in
that mirror. If you get mad enough with your actions just maybe you will try to change
your ways. Look at that mirror of life and see the real you and get mad. Ask that mirror
who do you see now? The old man is dead and I’m looking at the new man. I ask you
today, Is you is who you see you is?
Next, we must do something, if we don’t we will never see who we really is. Our text says,
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any
be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face
in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was.” Here we find James giving us the answer to our problems and
then the result if we listen only without doing something. The world is full of people who
profess a lot of things, but until I see something, it is just talk. When we profess without
doing, James says that we are fooling ourselves. A man will never know his capabilities if
he never attempts to do what he say. The old saying, “If you talk the talk, you must walk
the walk,” is a true saying even though it’s not in the Bible. God expects us to be more
than just talk; he expects us to be doers. James brings us to the principle verse of our
thesis, he says if we hear and not do, we are like a man looking in the mirror seeing himself
for who he is, then walk away forgetting who he really is. That’s the shame of living this life
professing to be a Christian and not living the life of a Christian not knowing who we are.
So many of us have forgotten whom we suppose to look like. We have gotten so use to
seeing who we want to be, who others want us to be, until we don’t know whom we are
looking at. Many of us look in the mirror and see more than what we are, and others look
and see less than what they are. Paul writes to the Galatians church, “For if a man think
himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man
prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
Are you really what you see? Are you seeing a born again man or woman or are you
seeing what you used to be? Are you seeing what you don’t want others to see, when
you know that you are not right? Do you like what you see or do you hate what you see?
You remember I told you that this mirror works in two ways. Many of us after Christ has
worked a great work in our lives changing us from what we use to be into a new reborn
Christian, we forget who we were when God sends us out to witness to other folk who are
just like we were. Don’t forget from where God have brought you! Use every opportunity
to witness the power of God working in your life that helped you change. Rejoice in the
fact that you know what God has done for you. You see the results of His power working
in your life and don’t be ashamed to tell somebody. But if you don’t have anything to tell,
keep you mouth closed. Don’t profess something that you’re not and don’t look in the
mirror denying who you really see forgetting who you really are. Is you is who you see you
is?
Our last point is when you see yourself in Christ you will really see who you is. Our text says,
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” When you
look in the eyes of Jesus and walk in His precepts who was not a hearer only, but a doer,
then your life will be blessed and you will see like He sees. Your eyes will finally be opened
to see the reality of your ways. If you look bad, you will see it and do something about it.
If you look good, you will humble yourself and give God the glory. Either way Jesus will
give you a clear reflection of what you are looking at to edify the kingdom of God. The
perfect will of God will be revealed through your eyes as you look in the mirror of life that
you see things unbeknown to other men. You remember what Paul wrote to the church
at Corinth, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Before knowing Christ we were not
able to see ourselves clearly, but when we come face to face with Him, a personal
encounter, He will open our eyes enabling us to see Him as He is and ourselves as we are.
Christ will wash all the scales of our eyes so that we can see the reality of life enabling us to
mend our ways from the old man making us into the new man. As we look continually
through His eyes we will become more and more like Him. The solution to any problem in
your life is that you must see who or what you are before you can start the process of
change. Many of us are professing things without truly confessing them leaving us in the
same predicament that we found ourselves in. Then after confession, many of us deny the
power of the resurrection that Jesus made available to us. Paul told Timothy, “Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” When we are hearers, but fail to do
what we hear, we have just a form of godliness denying the power of conversion that
comes along with confession and belief. Are you really what you see, or are you imaging
things to be what they are not? Do you see the real you when you look in the mirror, or
do you see what is convenient for the moment? Is your faith real or is it just a form of
religion that can’t save anyone? God is looking for some real men and women who are
willing to admit when they are wrong and willing to stand when they are right. It’s two
things that God can’t use: proud folks that won’t admit they are wrong and weak folk
who won’t stand when they are right. Look in the mirror, admit who you are, call upon the
Lord and He will give you a new outlook to see the real you. Is you is who you see you is?
In closing, as the songwriter said, “Some people are made of plastic. Some people are
made of wood. Some people have hearts of stone. Some be evil and up to no good.
But baby, I’m for real. I’m as real as real can get. If you’re looking for real loving, then
what you see is what you get.” Quit trying to be something that you are not, try being real
for once in your life. When you look in the mirror of life, what you see is what you get. You
can put on make up all you want, but when the makeup comes off, what you see is what
you get. You can dress up looking churchy, but when the clothes come off, what you see
is what you get. You can put your game face on, but when the game is over, what you
see is what you get. You can act like any body you want to, but when the curtain drop
and the show is over, what you see is what you get. I’ve noticed that a lot of furniture that
you buy today says, made of all wood, when in fact it is made of ground up saw dust
pressed together with glue into boards laminating it with plastic making it just look like
wood. It may be made of all wood, but not solid wood. Jesus is looking for some solid
folk, not made of chips and laminated coatings. That’s bad enough, but I’ve seen some
furniture that doesn’t have any wood in it at all, just plastic looking like real wood. Some
of us, as my friend told me, just look like that. The world is full of plastic, evil, no good
people; I thank God that we can go to church and experience being around some real
folk. Did I say something wrong, because sometimes in the church I find folk just as plastic
as the ones I see in the world. Isn’t it about time for us to put the plastic away! Let’s put
up the makeup; let’s pull the camouflage off! Let’s get real with God and be more like
Jesus - Jesus is real. The gospel song says, “Jesus is real, I know my Lord is real. I can feel
Him in my heart. I can feel Him in my soul. Oh, yes, Jesus is real.” The hymn writer wrote,
“There are some things I may not know, there are some places I can’t go, but I am sure of
this one thing, that God is real for I can feel Him deep within. Yes, God is real, real in my
soul; yes God is real for He has washed and made me whole; His love for me is like pure
gold, yes God is real for I can feel Him in my soul.” Catch hold to Jesus today, He will
make you real. Put away all of the makeup kits with your blushes, eye shadows, lipsticks,
toners and highlights that will only camouflage the real you from seeing who you really
are. You can’t hide from God, He can see through all of your makeup, so you might as
well be real. Let Christ help you see through all of the paint and polish to enable you to
see the real you to help you. Until you see who you really are, you will never be who God
wants you to be. Is you is who you see you is?