Doers not Hearers

I’m Done Talking

How does knowledge turn into wisdom? Application. How do you go from someone who knows a lot about the word to someone who lives out the word? By doing it. How did these Men of Valor like David, Joshua, Peter, and Paul become the spiritual giants they were. Obedience to God’s word. Its obedience to the Word of God that gets us to be better men in our sphere of influence, husbands to our wives, and Fathers that our kids look up to. See sin can be simply defined as disobedience to God.

James 1:22–25 ESV

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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

The Greek word for doer in verse 23 is poiētēs (pew eh tes) and it means to be a doer or a maker. I love that because it implies action. It implies that we need to be a doer of the word. We need to be a maker when we obey God’s word. What do we make? We make disciples. We make strongholds in the Kingdom of God. We make Jesus known throughout all the world!

Disobedience comes natural to us

Humans are naturally disobedient. If you have kids, you completely agree with what I just said.

Romans 3:10–12 ESV

10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

That seems pretty harsh but what Paul is saying here is that no one does good. No one is righteous without Jesus. Without the breath of God we are literally just piles of dirt and dust.

Paul wrestles with this struggle of disobedience in Romans chapter 7.

Romans 7:15–20 NKJV

15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I want to do good! I really want to do what God wants me to do! I want to love my neighbor as myself. I want to give to the needy, care for the orphans and widows, forgive others as I have been forgiven. I want to be everything that God has called me to be.....but its hard. The flesh gets in the way so much. This world influences me so much. Every time I try to do good, I end up doing bad things as well.

Romans 7:21–25 NKJV

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

How do we obey God’s word? First you have to know it. Then you have to obey it. The more you read, the more you’ll be inclined to obey if you don’t forget what it says.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The flesh and spirit are constantly at war with each other. The one you feed the most will be the one that wins. If you let yourself get angry and sin you feed the flesh. If we will forgive and let things go you feed the spirit.

In order to be obedient to the word of God, your priorities have to be in order.

In order to obedient to the word of God, your priorities have to be in order. We do this by discipline.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 NKJV

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The greatest athletes in the world spend hours upon hours in the gym every week. Football players for example spend years preparing for a shot at playing in the NFL. Only 1.2% of college football players get drafted to the NFL. They spend years training to for a shot to make it to play a 60 minute game, which, in the grand scheme of life, has no eternal value. If we were half as dedicated to doing God’s word as football players were to their craft, what kind of world would we live in? What could we accomplish? Would there be any orphans? Would there be any homeless? Heck, would there be anyone locked up in prison?

God has to be the priority. We serve a King who calls himself jealous. He has every right to be jealous for us! He is the one who created us! He is the one who has provided, protected, and prioritized us. He prioritized us when He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us so that we wouldn’t have to endure eternal separation for eternity, but so that we could be joined with him in paradise!

Your next priority has to be yourself. How can you serve one another if you don’t have the ability to take care of yourself? How can I pour out to you, if I haven’t taken the time to make myself study for this message and pray fervently?

Our final priority is others. Our families, our spouses, our neighbors come after God and self. Scripture says love your neighbor as yourself. If you’re not loving yourself, if you’re not giving yourself quality care, if you’re not giving yourself your best care, how can you give others your best? How can you pour out to others if you yourself are empty?

We need to be obedient to God’s word at all times, and at all costs

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus is our ultimate example of obedience. We are supposed to mirror Christ. The Bible is our window into what that looks like. Jesus was obedient even to the point of death. No matter what, Jesus was going to do the will of His father, even though He knew that it would cost Him His life.

Matthew 26:36–39 ESV

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus, the man, didn’t want to go through what He knew was about to happen. He knew that he was about to be beaten, humiliated, and crucified. He didn’t want that and who could blame him? But he stayed obedient. Its not easy. The word says “He was exceedingly sorrowful”. He said the words that we should all live by. “Not as I will, but as You will Father.”

Matthew 26:40–44 NKJV

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

You might be alone in your obedience. The ones that are closest to you, may be the ones that leave you high and dry.

Stay obedient. Stay close to the word. Stay with God. It may not be popular. It may not be what everyone else is doing. Who cares? This world is dying. This world has an expiration date. Its interesting that Jesus says that in the last days it will be like the days of Noah. People made fun of Noah saying that the world was coming to an end. They called him a fool for building an ark in the middle of the desert. They lived as they pleased. They did what was right in their own eyes. They had forsaken God. We have the chance now to be doers of the word and not just hearers. We can change the culture of this unit! We can kill prison mentality! But I warn you, if you came today and nothing changes, you wasted your time. If you listened to all the speakers today and go back to your dorm and don’t change the way you do things. What was the point of attending today? Guys, lets be doers of the word! Lets change the culture of this unit! Lets kill prison mentality! FOR THE KING!