A Look in the Mirror
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Typical intro…
In a series on James.
Last week we began discussing being quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…and how we do that by receiving the implanted word. And particularly, if we want to be able to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…if we want to have the righteousness of God and not the anger of man, then we need to put away sin…we need to take the garbage out. And I told you that one of the ways to be equipped to do that is prayer…and I promised you that we would be discussing in full tonight, more ways in which we are able to fight sin, take the garbage out, and persevere in this Christian life.
That’s where we left off last week…being told to take out the garbage, and receive…with meekness, the implanted word…the gospel.
Let’s get into where we are tonight.
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 passage is pretty clear and our very first verse in this passage gets right to the point, the main application of our passage.
Application: Be a doer, not just a hearer (v.22).
A doer of what?
James 1:22 (ESV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
What word is that? God’s word.
We see that from the previous verse.
James 1:21 (ESV)
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Do you remember what the implanted word is? Well, if you remember we said that clearly it’s something that can save your souls (v.21), and as we discussed last week there is only one thing that can save your souls…the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel is the implanted word, meaning, it is the word that is not received by external doing, but through internal belief of the cross of Christ.
It’s not received by putting anything on, it’s not received by external action..it’s received, it’s implanted into the heart.
The word that’s implanted here is the gospel of Christ, and by extension, it’s all of God’s word… because God’s word is what reveals the gospel to us. It’s what reveals to us who God is, who we are, why we need salvation, and that God would and has provided it to us.
God’s word, breathed out by him like it says in 2 Tim. 3:16… is also what reveals his will for us as those who have believed the gospel, showing that it’s a whole life thing, not just a moment in time.
That’s what James is getting at here in this passage.
In verse 21 he tells them to, yes, receive the word of God, receive the Gospel…receive it internally…but in verse 22 he says but don’t just hear it. Don’t just let your ears receive…let your life receive by doing it. Yes it’s implanted, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have external qualities.
So you need to understand what it means to truly receive it…and if you’ve truly received it, you’re going to live it. You’re going to live out God’s word and you’re going to live out God’s will in your life….you’re going to be a doer.
Back to our application, those that have received the implanted word, need to be a doer…need to live out God’s word, not just listen to it.
Why?Why should they be a doer? Because those that are only hearers, and not doers… are deceiving themselves.
Because hearers deceive themselves (v.22).
We see this in the passage.
James 1:22 (ESV)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Deceiving yourselves into what?
Well, you’re deceiving yourself into a false sense of security, and a false sense of salvation.
Let me be clear, your works…that is your deeds and your doing of the word are not what saves you…but they are the proof of your salvation. They are the outward manifestation of what has happened inwardly.
Just like baptism is the outward obedience of a disciple who has internally believed in Christ.
So…how we do we know that this is the kind of deception James is talking about?
From the context.
Remember, he’s talking about receiving with meekness the implanted word, and part of that receiving results in doing…but in verse 21 he qualifies that that implanted word is what saves your soul…
Meaning, that if you’re just a listener of that word…and not a doer as well…then you’re deceiving yourself into thinking you’ve received It. Meaning, you’re deceiving yourself into thinking you soul is saved. You’re making yourself feel good with doing any actual heart change.
If you are a hearer and not a doer…then you equate listening to God’s word as the same thing as receiving it.
But anyone can see that those aren’t the same thing..
Watching football is not the same thing as playing football.
Listening to music is not the same thing as playing or performing that music.
And listening to the God’s word is not the same thing as doing God’s word.
So don’t be deceived. Instead, do.
Did you hear that?
Don’t be deceived, instead do.
Okay, so I think we’ve got it. We’ve heard the main point of application, that is, we’ve heard what we are called to do, what we are supposed to do…and now we’ve even seen the warning of what it means if we do then we are just revealing that we haven’t received the word…BUT being told what we are suppose to do, and knowing how to do it are also different things. So let’s ask this question together..
How do I become a doer?
Maybe you’ve been a bit rattled tonight…and you don’t want to be just a hearer…but you want to be a doer…Amen. Praise God. Now what? Now, we evaluate your life based on these steps…and this is for all of us…because some of us are at the beginning of this journey, and we’ve never tried doing…but the rest of us can stand to be reminded because you know there are places, certain areas in your life that you are only hearing…and you want to tackle those areas…so how do we become a doer? Start with this…
Look in the mirror (v.23-24).
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.
So the rest of our time is spent tonight in this illustration that James uses. We’ve just been talking those that only listen, how they are deceiving themselves, and now James is illustrated that to do that, is just as foolish as someone that looks in a mirror to check how they look, and then walks away forgetting what they look like.
More on that in a minute, but let’s get to the very first part of the illustration, the fact that God’s word is illustrated as a mirror.
And the whole point, is that both the listener, and the doer that we will see in verse 25, are looking into the mirror. They are looking into God’s word.
So no matter what, we have to look at the mirror, we have look at God’s word, before we can even begin to evaluate our response to it, like James is illustrating.
Because many of us, are near mirrors, but we aren’t looking into them…
How many noticed this mirror?? How many have looked into it??
So as we discuss how to look in the mirror, we need to start with the premise that just being near it, is not looking in it.
Just being near God’s word, is not the same as looking into God’s word.
So how do we look into it then? Few ideas for you.
-Through devotion
-How are you doing this?
-Through worship
-Are you commited to this?
-Through community
-Who are your mirror holders?
Cody stinks illustration.
The point is, you’re doing these things…and not just as an act, but with your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength…another way to word it. Is you’re looking at the mirror..
Intentionally
Remember, you can be near the mirror, and not looking in the mirror. You can be in this room with it, and not look into it. You can also take a glance but not an actual look. You could walk by this mirror on stage and get a quick glimpse..
Hotel illustration. The destination is the mirror, not in passing.
The idea is that you’re looking in the mirror through devotion intentionally, looking in the mirror through worship, intentionally, looking in the mirror through community, intentionally.
I mean. This is the basics. Even the man that walks away in this illustration, is doing so after looking intently in the mirror.
James 1:23 (ESV)
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.
So if even the man that walks away is doing it. how much more should the man who doesn’t walk away (which we will get to in just minute) make sure he’s looking intently in the mirror.
For some of you, just this is enough…this is the start. This is new to you. For others, you’ve heard me preach it, you’ve been to our retreats, you grew up being told these things…and so these are reminders and encouragements…and if these things are things that you’re use to incorporating, you have good thoughts on how they are incorporated into your life…and good reminder for you is not only to be intentional, but to look in the mirror often. Don’t get lazy in it, don’t get comfortable with it in the wrong way.
Often
Keep the mirror portable. Phone, memorize, t-shirts, post-it notes.
Scripture
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
So we’ve got the premise…no matter what we need to get ourselves to the mirror. And it’s from there we evaluate our response. Two options….walk away and forget, or persevere.
Let’s look at the first one.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
What does this mean? It means even after doing the diligence of looking in the mirror, and let’s say just like this man, you do it intentionally…even after that…you walk away and forget what you saw. What was revealed. What was shown.
But the point of this verse is… don’t forget.
Don’t forget what you saw (v.24).
It’s like looking in the mirror, seeing you have some baby puke on your shirt, saying “i should take care of that” and walking away just to forget their was baby puke on your shirt.
It’s going to small group, saying you’re going to do something, saying something really impacted you…and yet doing nothing about it.
It’s going to church, filling out that convenient little note sheet Rob makes sure that we have, and throwing it in the trash on the way out…with no care to remember what it said.
Alright, a lot of don’t in this message so far, and a lot of do’s as well. But not a terrible amount of how’s yet. Yeah we have the how to look in the mirror…but maybe even more importantly…is how do we not forget. How do we walk away remembering and doing something about it. And not just once, but over the course of our lifetime.
Persevere by remembering… (v.25).
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.
Note, this perseverance that we are talking about isn’t a feeling, it’s an action. It says… “being no hearer who forgets but a doer WHO ACTS…”
If we have truly received the implanted word, if it has truly saved our souls, then we must be a people who look in the mirror of God’s word…and persevere…who look in the mirror of God’s word, and act accordingly.
Easier said than done. I know. But this scripture gives us a lot of motivation to be able to do it. First it reminds us that this mirror we are looking into…is perfect.
Notice it calls it the perfect law.
This is another way we know that the mirror is God’s word…because
James uses the mirror term interchangeably with what he calls the law. And that’s how God most often references his word…is by calling the law.
And God, through James, is reminding us that his law is perfect. We persevere by remembering that God’s law is perfect.
Remembering God’s word is perfect.
You can trust it. There are no flaws in it. And it cannot and will not ever fail.
Scripture
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
If you look in that mirror, and you see something that you know must change, but you’re uncomfortable with the change…or you’re uncertain the results it’ll have…just remember, the mirror never fails. It doesn’t just show you what you look like…it shows you what you should look like.
Ratty old shoes, people tell us, the mirror confirms it…we need to change it.
How do we persevere? Trusting that what the mirror shows us can be trusted. But that’s not the only thing…we also persevere by..
-Remembering God’s word is freedom.
James 1:25 (ESV)
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.
Meaning…there is freedom found in trusting and believing in what God says.
Because God’s word is truth, Jesus is truth, and the truth…sets you free.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
You hear that? Abiding in God’s word is freedom…not slavery, not rules, not regulations…but freedom.
We need to persevere, by remembering that the things God’s word, the things the mirror, shows us…lead to freedom. Not captivity.
I think of Peter in the book of Acts. When he was imprisoned after James was killed (not this James).
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Peter, even in the moment…wasn’t sure that what he was actually experiencing was leading to freedom…but afterwards he came to his senses and realized all along that what God was doing, was setting him free.
We do this so often when we look in the mirror. We look into God’s word, it reveals something…something we should do, a way we should respond…and because we are hesitant to either trust that it’s perfect, or remember that God’s will leads us to true freedom, we hesitate, or we purposely walk away and forget. But remembering that God leads us to freedom from sin and trusting that what the mirror reveals will bring that, is half the battle of persevering.
Porn illustration, bad friendship
Remembering God’s can be trusted because it’s perfect, and because it is freedom is how we persevere. That’s two of the ways this scripture reminds us of that…but there’s one more, and this is what we will end with tonight.
-Remembering God blesses the doer.
James 1:25 (ESV)
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.
How do we persevere? We remember that God’s law can be trusted, that God’s law is freedom…but we also keep in mind…at all times…that God blesses the work of the one who perseveres.
We remember that we aren’t alone in our fight against sin or towards sanctification…it’s not done in our own power, our own strength…it’s done with God’s blessing…his favor.
This particular passage doesn’t say that WE will be blessed, although God does bless his people, no…this passage states that if we persevere, if we fight back, if we ACT upon the word…God blesses the action. God gives favor to those who desire and fight to persevere after looking into his word.
So we end tonight, like we did last Thursday. Prayer. But now, we are praying with information…with truth, that God blesses the action of doing his word. And so now our prayer isn’t that God would give us strength, but that God would honor his word (and he will) by blessing us in the fight against sin and the battle of sanctification.
