Doing the Word

Introduction

This morning, we are continuing our study of James and are finishing chapter 1. We will be looking at verses 19-27. We began James two weeks ago, and spent the past two Sundays studying how we can have complete joy in the midst of our trials by keeping our eyes on Christ, and how wisdom comes from the Lord. Last week, Alex made the clear distinction between our outward trials or tests, and our inward temptations to sin. The temptations and enticement towards sin that we face do not come from God, but our own desires.

James is clear in verse 14, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” James then goes on and writes, James 1:17-18

James 1:17–18 ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

God does not give us temptations, but he gives us good gifts and has given us the word of truth and has brought us to himself by his own will, so that we could become his children and the firstfruits of God’s redemptive plan.

And in verses 19-27, James shows us the implications of verse 18. Let’s read together:

James 1:19–27 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Main Point: It is not enough to merely hear the Word of God, the Christian must be doers of the Word of God as well

Teaching Points:

The Word of God is Able to Save Your Soul (21)

The Word of God Elicits a Response (19-20, 22-25)

The Word of God Reveals True Religion (26-27)

Point 1: The Word of God is Able to Save Your Soul (21)

What is the Word of God? What does James refer to as the Word of Truth? The Word of Truth is the Gospel. God has called us through the Gospel, the good news of Christ into fellowship with him. He has, as James wrote in verse 21, “implanted” the gospel in those whom he has called.

God has implanted the Gospel in our hearts at the moment of conversion, and it is used by the Holy Spirit to guide, sanctify, convict, teach, and correct us. We receive and believe the Gospel when are saved, and we continue to follow it and let it mold us as we are being saved. What do I mean by being saved? Are we not saved at the moment of conversion? Is there more to salvation than clinging to the cross and responding to Jesus in faith?

Not at all. Forgiveness, mercy, and grace are found at the foot of the cross and the moment you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, the Bible says you will be saved. However, isn’t it interesting that James says the word of truth is able to save you? If James is writing to Christians, are they not already saved? What does James mean then? James means that as you continue to listen to the word of truth, as you continue to listen to the Gospel and you receive it, it will produce fruit and will lead to the ultimate deliverance in the day of judgement.

The Christian is saved.

The Christian is being saved.

And the Christian will be saved.

To put it another way:

The Christian is justified by receiving the Gospel of Christ.

The Christian is being sanctified by receiving the Gospel of Christ.

And the Christian will be glorified by continuing to receive the Gospel of Christ.

The Gospel is not just the diving board into Christianity. The Christian never graduates to something more spiritual or deep than the Gospel. Sure there are tons to study, but nothing else matters if you forget the Gospel. Paul writes that he made it his aim to only preach Christ and Christ crucified. He wrote in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The Gospel is the power of God to save, sanctify, and glorify his children.

The Holy Spirit does not remind us what a theophany is, or what eschatology or soteriology is correct in our time of need and doubt. He doesn’t tell us whether Jesus is coming back in before the tribulation begins or after. He doesn’t tell us that the world will get better., He doesn’t make us feel better by telling us we’re perfect the way we are.

NO! When we are struggling and in need of rescue, the Holy Spirit uses the Gospel to remind us that we have been bought with the blood of Jesus and are being conformed to His image. It is the assurance of the Gospel’s power that encourages us. It is the comfort of the Gospel that spurs us on.

When I fall for temptation, The Holy Spirit does not tell me to pick myself up by my bootstraps and dust myself off. He doesn’t tell me to walk it off. He points me back to the Gospel that I believed. He reminds me that my sins have been paid for and to walk in freedom.

The Gospel, the Word of Truth, is able to save our souls because it is continually working in our lives and producing fruit in us through the Holy Spirit.

Point 2: The Word of God Elicits a Response (19-20,22-5)

Not only does the Gospel demand a response at the time of evangelism, it demands a response from each of us every moment of every day. The Christian demonstrates the Gospel’s power to transform their lives, by humbly accepting the Gospel as their authority and guide. If we believe that the Scripture as a whole is our supreme authority then we will accept its precepts as binding and seek to live by them.

Salvation is by grace through faith, but our faith is proven or disproven by our actions, or lack thereof. James wrote in James 2:14-17

James 2:14–17 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Genuine faith will have works to prove it. Genuine faith will produce genuine actions. Genuine faith and receiving of the Gospel will produce change.

Verses 19-21 say,

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word.”

If you have truly recieved the word of truth humbly, there will be change. You will begin to put away all filthiness and worldliness. You will be quick to hear and slow to speak. You will begin to avoid the things that cause you to stumble and fall into sin. You will cut ties with the people that drag you into the pit of destruction. You will begin to desire to grow in Christ.

Friends, it is not enough to hear the Gospel, and say, “yeah that’s true, I agree.” James says later on in Chapter 2 that even the demons believe and shudder. You deceive yourself if you merely hear the Gospel and do nothing. Paul writes in Romans 2:13

Romans 2:13 ESV

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

James describes the person that hears the word of truth but does not do what it says as a person who looks at his reflection, goes away and forgets what he looks like. James 1:22-24

James 1:22–24 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

I can look at myself in the mirror for five hours, studying every feature of my face and as soon as I turn away I will forget something. How many times have you looked in the mirror since you’ve been able to notice yourself? Shouldn’t once be enough? Why do you look at yourself so often? Why do you get surprised when you notice the freckle on your cheek that’s been there since you were 2?

No matter how often we look at ourselves in the mirror, we forget what we look like. There is no change. There is no comfort, no assurance. No true certainty that the way I look this morning is how I will work this evening. If there was, I’d have no need to have a mirror in my house.

Likewise, the person who hears the Gospel, and only hears it, have not embraced the Gospel. As one commentator wrote,

“Those who fail to do the word, who are hearers only, are guilty of a dangerous and potentially fatal self delusion. If the gospel, by nature, contains both saving power and summons to obedience, those who relate to only one have not truly embraced the gospel.”

There is a both/and with the Gospel. The Gospel says both listen and believe and do. Jesus tells Peter at the campfire after the resurrection, “Love me and feed my sheep.” Jesus also says in Luke 11:28 “But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Hear and keep

Believe and do.

James continues the contrast between the person who only hears to the person who does what he hears in verse 25.

James 1:25 ESV

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 person that receives the word of God that was given to them by God and listens to what it says, hears what it convicts them of and they persevere and acts on it, will be blessed. Their faith is proven. If they let the perfect law of liberty work in them and they work through the change that the Gospel is doing in them they will continue being saved.

They will grow in their sanctification. They will be saved from the day of judgement. They have assurance and a confidence.

I want to be sure that none of you hears what I am NOT saying.

I am NOT saying faith is not enough to save you. I am NOT saying that you are saved by works. No matter how many good things you do and no matter how much of an angel you think you are, your best works are as glorious and wonderful as baby wipes. Faith without works is dead, and without faith, works are useless.

True, genuine faith will produce works. Genuine Christians, who hear the Gospel will respond in obedience and do what it says.

Point 3: The Word of God Reveals True Religion (26-27)

James gives 8 specific examples of what those who do the word will do/be.

Quick to hear (v19)

Slow to speak (19)

Slow to anger (19)

Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness (21)

Receive with meekness the implanted word (21)

They will “bridle” or control their tongue (26)

They will visit orphans and widows (27)

They will keep oneself unstained from the world (27)

James says that these things (specifically care of orphans and widows, and keeping yourself unstained from the world) is pure and undefiled religion. In other words, true devotion and worship of God is caring for the needy, pursuing godliness, obeying His Word, avoiding sin, controlling your desires, controlling your anger, and so on.

This is the true Religion. If a relationship with God is what you desire, then you must both hear the Gospel and respond to it. You must hear the commands of scripture, and do them. You cannot truly love someone if you do not do what they say.

No one can say that their child obeys and listens to them if they do not do what they are told. No one can say they follow God if they do not follow his commandments. Hearing something and letting it go in one ear and out the other does not cut it with God.

Conclusion

Do not be deceived into thinking that just because you heard the Gospel and accepted it to be true you don’t have to do anything. Don’t deceive yourself to believe that all you have to do is go to church, sing songs, listen to preaching, and occasionally read your Bible. To follow God, there must be actual following going on.

You know how I know Asher loves me? When I leave the room, he follows me. He starts calling out trying to find me. And he follows my voice. When he has something that he shouldn’t have, like our TV remote, he gets excited (right now) when I tell him to walk to me and give it to me. He wants to be with me. He wants to follow me.

The Gospel should elicit the same type of response in us towards God. When we stray away, we should be desiring to hear God’s voice. We should be doing what he says out of love. True devotion is proven by our actions. True love for God is proven if we do what is commanded. Jesus says in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Be doers of the Word, not mere hearers. Proclaim the Gospel. Care for the sick, the depressed, the hopeless, the needy. Respond with love to those who lash out to you. Have patience with those who annoy you. Bear the fruit of the Spirit. And take comfort in knowing that The God of peace will sanctify you completely.

Benediction