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Intro:
Intro:
AG: Instructions video
show video and/or picture of instructions
Can you relate to that? Do everything to build it the way you want to and think it goes, and in frustration check the instructions.
Life can be that way. We can struggle and push and listen to many voices of how to live. The world has an abundance of ideas of right and wrong. Don’t believe me? Look at the how to or Do It Yourself section in a bookstore.
If only our lives came with an owner’s manual.
[pause]
Wait a minute. IT DOES!
So why do we get it wrong?
We get it wrong because we don’t read the instructions!
God speaks to us about this today through James, the half brother of Jesus. In 5
Slide: Weeds
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
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.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27 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.
First, we have to take some things out of the way.
First, we have to take some things out of the way.
The weeds which infest our lives and choke out our fruitfulness must be removed.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:19-21
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:19-
a. “Put aside”- lit. having put off
i. Like when we change clothes we put off the old dirty clothes
ii. We are instructed to put off sin.
1.
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
2.
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
3.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Notice the specific weeds we need to pull
i. Filthiness-
used of soiled clothes
Interestingly it is even used of ear wax
could be saying the sin which stops our ears from hearing what God has to say.
ii. Rampant wickedness
the evil desire and intent of worldliness
iii. anger- deep internal resentment
iv. wrath- sudden outburst of sinful anger
v. malice- damage caused by evil speech
vi. slander- same word used toward God is blaspheme.
toward people it is to damage a person’s reputation
Telling lies with an intent to harm.
vii. obscene talk
disgraceful, shameful, and abusive language
These weeds of sin fight against and choke out the word of God in our lives. They war against what God is doing.
Notice that they tie together in how we relate to others!
It is easy to sit here and point fingers at other peoople
We are quick to find fault in others when often we are blind to our own shortcomings.
Perhaps that is why James instructs us to remove these things before we try to receive the word of God!
Then we have to follow the instructions.
Then we have to follow the instructions.
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
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.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27 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.
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.
James 1:22-
Receive with Meekness
Receive with Meekness
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
In meekness, we receive the implanted word
It is an act which God does, not us.
We can’t force it into us nor can we force it into people around us.
Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t just happen by osmosis.
God takes the word and plants it in us as we read, study, & mediate upon it.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
“Do your best” - implies a zealous persistence in accomplishing a goal
We are to be diligent, to put some work into studying the Word of God.
The goal we are to pursue with such diligence....
rightly handling (lit. cutting it straight) the word of truth
accuracy & precision are demanded in interpreting God’s word.
It is shameful to do anything less
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
mediate on the word throughout the day.
Think about it.
Let your mind dwell on it.
As we are frequently exposed to , study and mediate upon God’s word, HE implants it into our heart, our very being.
It doesn’t stop there!
Be a doer, and not just a hearer of the Word.
Be a doer, and not just a hearer of the Word.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
lit. prove yourselves doers
Once the word is part of us, once we know what God has said, we are obligated to put it into practice.
Once we know what God has said
There was a problem James addressed which is still with us today.
We are obligated to live it out!
We can hear the word and not do it!
How many times have we heard a sermon only to walk away and not put it into practice?
How many times have we read the Bible and said, “that’s nice” closed the book and left unchanged.
James calls us out on this!
It isn’t enough to pull the weeds (sin), we have to put the word of God into practice
Are you a doer or merely a hearer?
He compares it to the use of a mirror
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.
-35
It would be foolish and a waste of time to check yourself in a mirror and ignore what you find.
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.
If you see adjustments which need to be made, MAKE them!
Why don’t we?
Because it offends us! It tells us to correct something and we don’t like it.
Jordan Tew in his recently released book said, “If coming face-to-face with Scripture causes you to push Scripture away in favor of your way of doing things, then you need a wake-up call.”
Tew, Jordan. Small Town Churches: Challenging the Culture and Theology (Kindle Locations 83-84). UNKNOWN. Kindle Edition.
When we are diligently in the word, we will see adjustments which should be made to our lifestyle.
much like the weeds to be pulled we noticed earlier.
To be a doer, we must make the needed adjustments!
Look in the perfect law of liberty
Perfect- God’s revealed, inerrant, sufficient, word.
Liberty- law which sets us free from sin
An example:
James uses a practical illustration of this point in the next two verses. He is also setting up a theme which will recur in the book of James.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27 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.
James 1:
Much like the weeds to get out of the way, this addresses how we treat others.
If we don’t control our speech, our so called religion is worthless!
Real religion isn’t talk it is a walk!
It reflects in how we treat others, especially the most vulnerable among us.
widows and orphans were the neediest segment of the church
Caring for them would be caring for one who could not reciprocate.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
BIG IDEA: We must remove all barriers in our lives which hinder us from living out the word of God so that when we hear, we can reach the next level in our walk of faith by doing the word of God.