Doing Makes The Difference | James 1:22-25

Opening Remarks: Had a great week

Proud of the attitude and spirit (most of them)

Thankful they worked hard to keep their cabins clean

Didn’t complain about the long trip

Mostly, very responsive in the preaching

Lot of decisions made

Common Mentality

“Give them two weeks and they’ll be right back to their old ways. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

I understand, we’ve all made decisions in the moment that didn’t stick.

But three things:

First, part of the reason we go to Bill Rice Ranch is because it’s not an emotional decision kind of place. They present truth and encourage young people to make a decision.

Second, Another reason we go to BRR is they don’t have the kids just go forward to pray on their own. Anyone who responds goes forward and meets with a counselor who guides them to another counselor to pray with them. The accountability is a huge part of the process there. A decision card is filled out for every decision and we get a copy of it.

Third, why should we be skeptical? Instead of doubting, wouldn’t it be better for us to come up with a plan to help them?

That’s the idea behind the message tonight. It’s something I’ve dealt with before, but I think after a week in which many decisions were made, we should revisit a few thoughts that might help us better support those decisions. But the principles are true for us too.

READ James 1:22-25

Introduction: Parents go out of town for a few days and leave their kids home alone with their oldest son, who is 16.

Before the parents leave, they tell their 16 year old, “Every morning, we’re going to text you a list of things you need to take care of around the house. We expect you to do everything on the list. If you will just follow the list, you’ll be okay. If you don’t follow the list, we will never trust you again for one second and may God have mercy on your soul.”

So the parents leave. And sure enough, the next morning, the first day’s list of instructions comes through. The parent’s expectations are clearly laid out. And every day a new list of chores and responsibilities comes through like clockwork.

After vacation, mom and dad return home and find that things are not as they expected. There are weeds in the front flower bed, even though they had included weeding on the list. The lawn isn’t mowed, and that was on the list. The dishes are piled high in the sink, but that was also on the list. The living room isn’t clean, the laundry isn’t done, the trash hasn’t been taken out, the pets haven’t been fed, and to top it off they walk while the son is playing the Xbox even though they said no video games.

The parents walk through the door and look around at the house and then look at their son and say, “What in the world is going on?”

The son says, “Whatever do you mean?”

Dad, “Look at this place! Didn’t you get any of my texts?”

Son, “Of course I did. I got every one of them. I even responded to you saying I got them.”

The parents simply stare as if their son is speaking a different language. The son continues, “In fact, mother, father, every time we received a text, we would sit down and discuss the lists as siblings. We divided up and even had small groups and really dug into studying the chores you gave us. And each of us even took time to explain what the specific text meant to us.”

Dad is looking at his son like he has two heads. But he goes on.

“In fact, father, some of the things you mentioned were so interesting that we even committed your texts to memory. Word for word. We would sit around and meditate on them until they were seared into our brains. It was some fantastic and compelling material.”

So dad looks at son and say, “Let me get this straight. You got our texts. You studied them. You discussed them. You even memorized them. But WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THEM?”

Son looks surprised and hurt. “Why, father, what do you mean? We had no idea you wanted us to DO something about them.”

Silly, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it may describe how many people (teenagers and adults alike) often treat their response to God’s Word.

There were a lot of decisions made this week. The truth was presented. The HS convicted. And many if not all of the young people responded. They made decisions and prayed with counselors. But is that all? Do camp decisions have to stay at camp? James has some help for us here.

I. Doing makes the difference – vs. 22

We’re too often hearers only.

If you go to church regularly, you hear a lot of truth. You hear good solid, Bible truth all the time. But for many of us, all we ever do is hear the truth. It never translates to doing.

I’ve talked about this before, but it’s like the difference between auditing a class and enrolling in one.

Enroll - Official student, take texts, turn in homework, get a graded, pass get credit

Audit - No credit, don’t have to go, don’t have to turn in homework, no tests,

“Aud” is the root that means “hear.” As in audio or audible. And too many young people and adults alike simply hear God’s Word. There’s no doing involved. James says, “Be more than an auditor. Enroll in the class.”

The truth I’d like to focus on is this: A sermon isn’t finished until you do something with it.

James gives us the danger of hearing without doing in Vs. 22. The result of hearing without doing is deception.

II. The Word Of God Is Our Mirror – vs. 23-24

Using a mirror is not always pleasant. We convince ourselves we look a certain way, but a mirror shows us reality.

Illustration: I still feel 16 in my heart. But when I look in the mirror it lets me know I’m not 16. I see wrinkles, baggy eyes, graying hair, and I’d rather just go my way and forget what I saw.

The Bible is a spiritual mirror. Many people experience a look into the Word, don’t like what they see, lay it down, and do nothing about it. And when we look into God’s Word and do nothing with it, we become self-deceived. It’s like looking in a mirror and not liking what you see, then walking away and forgetting what you look like.

Illustration: Let’s say you looked in the mirror before coming into the service this morning and you saw a big chunk of something green in your teeth. You see it, don’t like, it looks bad and makes you feel bad about yourself, but at the moment when you might do something about it, you get a text and it distracts you and you forget about it. And you spend the rest of the day wondering why people won’t talk to you.

Why? Because you’ve forgotten what you looked like. You are deceived into thinking everything’s okay. That happens all the time spiritually. This is how we become self-deceived.

The Word of God is opened through preaching or teaching or in your own Bible reading. In that moment you see yourself as you really are and know you need to change. But rather than come up with a plan to help you become a doer, you leave with no plan and nothing changes. You become deceived. And the people that hear the most preaching are the most likely to be deceived because they’re exposed to truth all the time. This week has been great, but there’s a high risk of deception because you’ve heard lots of truth. And if you hear without doing, you will be deceived.

Contrast that with Vs. 25

The contrast from a hearer is a man who looks into God’s Word and continues there. Doesn’t forget what he looks like. And becomes a doer. That man will be blessed. So one hears and leaves and is deceived. But the other hears and does and is blessed. We’re talking about the difference between being blessed or being deceived. Which one would you rather be?

So What Literally Makes The Difference?

How does one person hear and do nothing while the other hears and does?

It’s all about how you view that encounter with truth. If you’re a hearer only, as soon as you hear the final Amen, you say, “That sermon is finished.” That means all you are is an auditor. You saw it as information to hear, not instruction to do. Kind of like the opening illustration with instructions from your parents. To a hearer only, a sermon finishes at the final “Amen.” But for a doer, the final “Amen” is just the beginning.

For a doer, a sermon isn’t finished until he or she does something with the information they’ve received.

Just imagine the Final Amen of a sermon. In Jesus’ name, “Amen.” When that happens, most people think, “Okay, that sermon is over.” But according to James, that’s when the sermon begins.

“Amen” is the finish line for the Hearer, but it’s the starting gun for the Doer.

You must view the hearing of truth as the beginning of change, not the end of a sermon. It’s a starting gun, not a finish line.

How To Become A Doer:

1. View a decision as the start of change, not the end of a sermon.

Some of us are so used to hearing and leaving that we don’t even know how deceived we really are.

We have something in our teeth, and we’ve completely forgotten.

We’ve been given a clear list of instructions to follow, but all we’ve done is talk about it.

A decision without doing brings deceit. We think we’re okay, but we’re auditors, not students. We hear, nothing changes. We become deceived.

A message isn’t over until you’ve done something. Response starts at the altar, but it ends with action.

How To Become A Doer:

2. Make plans every time you make a decision.

Emotion is good, care about it. But don’t just respond emotionally. Respond with a plan. Write down your decision. Every decision. Then make a plan to keep it. Write down action steps - what you’re literally going to do with what you’ve heard.

Make it specific. Don’t just say, “I’m going to read my Bible.” Say, “I’m going to set my alarm for 7:00 and go to the Kitchen table and read my Bible before I eat breakfast at 7:30.”

Make it measurable. Make it easy to determine whether or not you’ve accomplished it. It’s good to write down “I’m going to be a better witness.” But it’s better to write, “I’m going to share the Gospel with one person a week.”

Make it reasonable. Don’t say, “I’m going to wake up at 3:30 and pray for 3 hours then read my Bible for 1 hour every day for the rest of my life.” No. Start with 15 minutes. You’ll never keep an unreasonable decision. Make it specific, measurable, and reasonable, or you won’t do it.

How To Become A Doer:

3. Get help from others to keep your decisions.

God gave us people to help us.

A youth pastor and other godly adults.

He gave you good friends to check in on you.

You don’t have to do it alone. Lean on your church family to keep your decisions.

Young people, he gave you parents. They’re the most important people in this process.

Parents, ask what decisions were made and formulate a plan. This week. Talk about it. Work on it together. You’re the key to their success.

How To Become A Doer:

4. Remember that blessings are better than deception.

Conclusion:

Aren’t you tired of making decisions and never changing?

It doesn’t have to stay that way.

It’s time to transition from hearer to doer.

It’s time to stop auditing and enroll.

If you value blessings over deception, turn your hearing into doing.

This time can be different. Make it count. With God’s help, you can keep your decisions.

Don’t believe the lie that you can’t.

You can keep your decision:

1. If you’ll view a decision as the starting gun, not the finish line.

2. If you’ll write down a plan that is specific, measurable, and reasonable.

3. If you’ll get help from others.

4. If you’ll remember that blessing is better than deception.

This week didn’t end on Friday.

That’s when it started.

That was the starting line.

To the young people: On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!