I’ll Never Keep My Decisions | James 1:22-25

Opening Remarks:

Lies Teenagers Believe

Lie # 1 - My Friends Won’t Affect Me

Lie #2 - I Will Never Have Victory Over My Sin

Lie #3 - Familiarity With Christ Equals Faith In Christ

Lie #4 - Fences Ruin All The Fun

Lies #5 - God Can’t Use One Young Person To Make A Difference

James 1:22-25 READ

Here’s a lie teens believe, especially during a week like this: I’ll Never Be Able To Keep My Decisions. You’ve heard a lot of truth this week. You’ve responded. You’ve been moved. But sometimes at camp we view the decision as the end, when in reality the decision is just the beginning. Don’t buy the lie that you can’t keep your decisions. With Christ’s help, it’s possible. PRAY

Introduction: Let’s use our imagination and say that your parents are going out of town for a week and leaving you and your siblings home alone. How many of you has this happened to? It’s a big deal the first time it happens. It means your parents trust you…ish. And that you’re growing up…ish. And showing some maturity…ish. Now, before your parents leave, they tell you this, “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 your parents leave. And sure enough, the next morning, the first day’s list of instructions comes through. All of your parents’ expectation are clearly laid out. And every day a new list of chores and responsibilities comes through like clockwork.

After your parents’ vacation, they 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, your pet chinchilla hasn’t been fed, and to top it off they walk while you’re playing your Xbox even though they said no video games.

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

You say, “Whatever do you mean?”

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

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

Your parents simply stare as if you you’re speaking a different language. You continue, “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.”

Your dad is looking at you like you have two heads. But you go 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.”

Your dad looks at you and says, “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?”

You look 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 teenagers often treat their response to God’s Word.

Let’s consider this week. We’ve heard God’s Word. We’ve been presented truth about friends, temptation, having a walk with God, surrender, fences, and dealing with sin. The truth was presented. The HS has convicted you. And you’ve responded by making decisions. But is that all? Do camp decisions have to stay at camp? James has some help for us here.

I. He starts by talking about how the Word ought to be our priority. Vs. 19-21

We don’t have time to dig into every phrase, but James’ message is this:

If God’s Word is what saved you, it ought to be important to you. It’s the only resource for true change.

If you value change, you ought to be hungry for God’s Word.

Some of you have been eager this week. You’ve been good listeners. Be as eager to hear your Pastor preach on Sunday. Let him know you appreciate his labor to present truth. Sit up front in the youth group. Bring your Bible. Open it and take notes like you have this week. It’s not good enough to be hungry for God’s Word one week a year at camp. You need to eat all year.

Show up to church ready to receive it.

James says, “Lay aside all filthiness with superfluity of naughtiness.” The Greek word for “filthiness” means “wax in the ear.” The reason you can’t receive the Word is because you’ve got build up. Gross. James is talking about sin. You can’t receive the Word until you confess your sin. Here’s a good habit: Do business with God before you ever step foot into church. You can’t receive the Word if there’s no room for it.

So James starts by saying be eager to hear God’s Word. But that’s not where he stops.

II. 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.

When you get to college you’ll understand this a little better, but colleges offer two ways to take a class: You can either enroll or you can audit.

If you enroll in a class, you’re an official student. You take the tests. You turn in the homework. And you get a grade. If you pass, you get credit. But if you audit a class, you don’t get credit for it. So you don’t have to go. You don’t have to turn in homework. You don’t have to take tests. You’re essentially just there to learn, not receive any credit or produce anything. If you think about the word, “Audit,” it gives a clue as to its meaning. “Aud” reminds us of words like “Audio” or “Audible.” Those are things you hear or listen to. That’s the idea of “Audit.” You just listen. You’re just there to hear.

Unfortunately, too many young people are simply auditing God’s Word. You’re listening but you’re not really enrolled. You’re not a student, you’re an auditor. But James says you ought to be more than an auditor. You ought to be a doer.

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. What does he mean by that?

III. 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.

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 beard, and I’d rather just go my way and forget what I saw. Well, 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, your friend comes in and says, “That girl you like is outside. Let’s go!” You get so excited about your future wife that you run out of the bathroom and forget you’ve got something green the size of Utah stuck in your teeth. And you spend the rest of the day wondering why people won’t talk to you.

First, it’s because you have no real friends. A real friend would say something.

Second, 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?

IV. 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.

A hearer is auditing the class. No pressure. No expectation. No obligation. No responsibility. But a doer is enrolled. He feels the pressure. He works to meet the expectations. He has a responsibility. And if you are a hearer only, you are adding layers of deceit to your life. But if you are a doer, then you are stockpiling God’s blessings on your life.

Which one do you want to be? Deceived or blessed? It’s all in how you view what to do with God’s truth.

Just imagine the Final Amen of a sermon. “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

When that happens, a hearer will think, “Okay, that sermon is over.” The Amen is the finish line.

But for doers, when the final “Amen” is said, you think, “Okay, let’s get started.”

“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. But teenagers believe the lie that hearing is enough. And they continue to be deceived.

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

You have something in your teeth, and you have completely forgotten.

You have been given a clear list of instructions to follow while your parents are out of town, but all you’ve done is talk about it.

I think the biggest problem with teenagers is not that they haven’t heard enough truth, but that they’ve ignored it so long that they’re self-deceived.

A decision without doing brings deceit. You think you’re okay, but you’re an auditor, not a student.

You hear, but nothing ever changes. So deceived. Aren’t you tired of coming to camp and hearing, then leaving without doing? (How many camps, decisions, etc)

V. So how do I become a Doer?

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

A message isn’t over until you’ve done something.

Response starts at the altar, but it ends with action.

B. 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.

Bro. Bernie in Heart Check last night, “Confess, game plan, accountability.”

Here’s the counsel I would give when making a plan:

1. 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.”

2. 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.”

3. 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.

C. Get help from others to keep your decisions.

God gave you a local church to help you. He gave you a youth pastor to keep you accountable. 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.

By the way, you have a 2 or 3 hour trip home today. You know what you should do? Write out your plan. Then submit it to your YP or YP’s wife. And then give them permission to check up with you any time they want and you’ll promise to be honest.

If you want blessings instead of deception, these are the lengths you need to go to.

IV. 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:

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

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

If you’ll get help from others.

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

On your make, get set, GO! This time it can be different.