Changed
Notes
Transcript
Handout
· Dad’s story about the air compressor.
· If you go to the store today and you purchase a product - you’re probably going to find a warning label the package.
o Baby stroller box,
§ Warning: Remove child before folding.
o Cardboard sunshield
§ Don’t drive with sunshield in place.
o Toilet bowl cleaning brush:
§ Not for oral use.
o Bic lighter:
§ Light this lighter away from face.
o 500-piece puzzle:
§ Some assembly required.
o Chainsaw: (I love this one)
§ Do not attempt to stop the blade with your hand.
§ Do not hold wrong end.
o Iron:
§ Do not iron on body.
o Super Man costume:
§ This costume does not enable flight or super strength.
o And finally, on the package of little juggling balls,
§ there was this warning: This product contains small granules under 3 millimeters, not suitable for children under the age of 14 years in Europe or 8 years in the United States. Proof that our children this side of the ocean are able to digest little 3-millimeter granules a lot easier than children in Europe.
· Why do these labels exist?
o Because the manufacturer thought it was pretty straightforward, but somewhere along the way things went terribly wrong.
o Someone opened a package and began to use the product in a way in which it wasn’t intended.
o Which led to someone getting hurt or probably a lawsuit.
o So, the manufacturers decided they needed to clarify with the warning label.
· What about your life, do you need some warning labels?
o Some labels to tell you not to do certain things?
When I was a young kid I was out playing golf by myself and I hit my ball in a creek, right under a walk over bridge. I saw the ball in the water and not really thinking, I reached my hand into the water to pull the ball out. Since the water was cold, I pull it out real quick. As I pulled it out a water mocassion jump at my hand. I had moved it just in time. I was lucky, but what I really needed was a warning label on my golf ball to watch for snakes if hit in the creek label.
· What kind of warning labels do you need?
o Credit Card – Don’t use unless you have money in the bank to pay off.
o Chinese buffet – contents may cause your belly to swell.
· We are in week 3 of our Series on James.
o Our passage today is in James 1:22-27 and it is a warning label.
· James is writing to inform believers how the Word of God is intended to be used.
o He obviously knows enough about human nature to realize that there is a great tendency for us to mishandle the Word of God.
o And if we mishandle or misuse the Word of God, it leads to very, very dangerous consequences.
Warnings:
1. Don’t merely be a hearer of God’s Word.
Do not merely listen to the Word
· Who was James original audience?
o Most of them couldn’t read,
o None of them own Bibles.
o Most of them received God’s Word by listening to other people.
· If James were writing to today, he would probably broaden his command and say to us sitting here today,
o Do not merely be listeners or readers of the Word. Do not merely be just students of the Word, do not merely podcast the Word, do not merely download the Word, don’t simply tweet the Word, and don’t simply look at the Word online.”
· James wasn’t against…
o listening
o reading
o discussing
o memorizing
o meditating
o podcasting
o tweeting
o putting verses on Facebook
o because in order for the Bible to get into us, we must get into the Bible.
· What James is saying is that is that’s not enough.
o We must do it.
o Many people think wow
§ I just heard this incredible sermon
§ or had this great Bible study
§ and just hearing it will make them grow in their walk with Jesus.
§ Because they believe, the more knowledge I possess the more mature I am.
· But that’s not what James is saying:
o He is saying…
§ It’s not the hearing or the reading.
§ It’s the doing.
· Too many Christians mark up their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them!
o James is saying if you think you are spiritual because you hear the word you come to church, you read your Bible - you are only kidding yourself.
§ That’s not enough.
· As a matter of fact – it can be dangerous and self-deceiving.
2. Don’t be deceived.
and so deceive yourselves;
· That word deceive means…
o to cheat
o to misunderstand.
· If we just simply listen to the Word and stop there, we are CHEATING OURSELVES.
· When I went to Israel, a pastor friend of mine named Kevin and I decided we would get our picture taken with a camel. COST $5. He went first and I took his picture. I got on the camel and the guy asked it I wanted to ride the camel. I am like yes. I got to ride the camel for about 10 minutes. Afterwards we noticed his sign said, “Get your picture and ride the camel for $5.
o Kevin cheated himself, because he was also entitled to ride the camel. He paid for it.
· When we just hear the word and stop there, WE ARE CHEATING OURSELVES.
o We are not allowing the WORD TO TRANSFORM US.
o To change us.
So, we are deceived by…
a. thinking we are more spiritual than we really are.
· I must be spiritual because…
o I went to church.
o I listened to that boring preaching for 35 minutes.
o I even went to Sunday School.
o I even read my Bible twice last week.
· James is saying, if you think that just doing that is making you spiritual you are missing the point.
o Simply
§ Reading
§ Attending church
§ Listening
§ Opening your Bible occasionally
§ Can actually be self-deceiving – if it gives you the feeling you are growing when in you’re your aren’t growing at all.
§
b. thinking listening by itself leads to life change.
· Listening alone doesn’t necessarily lead to life change.
o A roadmap can tell me how to get where I want to go, but a roadmap cannot take me there.
o I have to get in the car and physically drive the route.
· In the same way, the Bible is a powerful, but the Bible is not magical.
o Just having head knowledge and not doing anything with that knowledge isn’t going to change anything.
o I have to…
do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself he goes away and he immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
· James uses the illustration of a fellow who goes and looks in the mirror.
o What is the purpose of a mirror?
§ To reveal imperfections.
§ So we can see ourselves as we really are.
§ To tell us what we need to change.
· But does the mirror have the power to make the changes?
o No, it simply informs us of what we need to change.
§ Wash your face.
§ Comb your hair
§ Shave
§ Put makeup on.
· Who has the power to make the changes?
o You.
o It doesn’t matter if you look in the mirror 10 times or a 100 times; you will remain the same until you do something.
· In the same way, if a person looks into the Word of God and does nothing, they aren’t going to change.
Ezekiel - chapter 33 is a good compliment to our passage in James.
· God is speaking to Ezekiel, and he’s letting him know what his people are saying about him when they leave the worship service.
· This is what God says to Ezekiel:
o Ezekiel, as for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of their houses, and they’re saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ Ezekiel, my people come to you as they usually do, and they sit before, you and they listen to your words, but they don’t put them into practice. And with their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you’re nothing more than the one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well. For they hear your words but they don’t put them into practice. Ezekiel 33
· Do you see the connection between these two passages?
· God is telling Ezekiel, YOU GOT A PROBLEM.
o The people are coming to
§ your worship service
§ listening to your sermons
§ taking notes.
o And on Monday morning they’re gathering around the water cooler they are
§ complimenting you
§ applauding you
§ talking about what an amazing preacher you are.
o In fact, they
§ Have downloaded every podcast from you
§ Got them on their iPods.
§ Listening to them while they run.
§ While driving in their cars.
§ They’ve gotten CDs and DVDs of your messages, and they’ve sent them out to all of their friends.
· In fact, Ezekiel, you’ve become one of the most popular preachers.
o But here’s the problem.
§ While they are devoted to your teachings,
§ Their lives remain unchanged.
§ They leave the Worship services and don’t look any different than they did when they came.
· Isn’t this still a problem today?
o Christians sit in churches every week around the world.
o They listen to many sermons and walk away going: I just love…
§ That guy
§ How he tells a story
§ How he explains a passage.
§ How he gives us a challenge each week.
· But they walk away and their life is still the same.
· How many of you have ever been to a conference?
o At a conference you get a ton of information.
o As the speakers are speaking you are going
§ “That’s great, we need to do that.”
§ “That’s so awesome.”
§ “That guy is a great speaker.”
· The conference is over and what do you do with all those notes and ideas you got?
o You put them in a folder and never look at them again.
o Did they do you any good?
o Did those notes change anything?
o They only change things when what happens?
§ YOU PUT THEM INTO PRACTICE.
· For the Word of God to CHANGE US,
3) WE GOT TO PUT IT INTO PRACTICE.
· We have to do what it says.
· Martin Luther said, “The world does not need a definition of religion as much as it needs a demonstration.”
“Do not merely be hearers or listeners to the Word and so deceive yourselves; do what it says.”
· Just hearing, doesn’t automatically result in change.
· That’s why over and over again in the Bible is says to…
o Do
o Doing
o Done
o That’s the focus of this passage.
o James says we must be doers of the Word for God’s Word for it to really change you.
A missionary in New Guinea returned after several years of service. His friend said to him, “tell me what did you find at your station in New Guinea?” He replied, “found! I found something that looked more hopeless then I had been sent into the jungles to a lot of Tigers.” The friend asked, “what do you mean? What are you talking about?” The missionary responded, “why those people were so degraded that they seemed utterly empty of moral common sense. They were worse than the beast of the jungle. If a mother was carrying her baby, and the baby began to cry, she would throw it into the ditch and let it die. If a man saw his father break his leg, he would leave his father on the roadside to die. They had no compassion at all. They did not know what it meant to have compassion.” The friend then asked, “well, what did you do for the people like that? Did you preach to them?” The missionary replied, “preach? No, I lived before them. When I saw a baby crying, I picked it up and comforted it. When I saw a man with a broken leg, amended it. When I saw people in distress, I took them in and pitied them and cared for them. I got involved in their lives and those people began to come tumi Anas, what does this mean? why are you doing this? Then, I had my chance and I preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.” “Did you succeed?” Ask the friend. The the missionary answered and said, “when I left, I left the church.”
· We need to be doers of the WORD, not just listeners.
· Who wants to grow in their walk with Christ?
o Who wants to be transformed?
o Who wants to change?
How can we become doers of the Word?
1) Study It.
· You have got to study God’s Word.
o Study is different than just reading.
o Study means being focused on it.
o It means I am trying to understand what it is saying.
o Looking to see what it wants me to do.
· How many of you like to read?
o I am a big fan of…
§ John Grisham
§ Stephen Ambrose
§ Jeff Shaara
o I love to pick up one of their novels and just start reading.
o It’s fun.
o It’s easy to read.
· But if I read a textbook for a class I am taking. I will…
o Highlight things.
o Make notes.
o Underline things
o Why?
§ I going to be tested on it.
§ I have to know what it is saying.
· Reading a novel and read a textbook are very different.
o One I am reading for fun.
o The other to study and learn, so you can apply it.
· In fact, this is how James describes the one who doesn’t merely listen to the Word but follows it:
“But the man looks intently into the perfect law.”
· Intently literally means to stoop down.
o It gives me the picture of a scientist who sees something special in the jungle, so he moves down to get closer and study and scrutinize it.
· That’s the image that James is giving us here.
o it’s not just a…
§ passing glance
§ casual observance.
§ looking over your shoulder and going, “That’s kind of interesting.”
§ It’s really digging down to get a little deeper.
· See many Christian
o May read a little bit of their Bible every day.
o Read a devotion that comes thru their email.
o But they never really focus and dig deep to see what it is really saying.
· One of my favorite passages from the Bible that describes the power that the Bible can have in our lives is Hebrews 4:12.
“For the word of God is living and active, and it is sharper than any double-edged sword. Its pierces as far as the division of soul and spirit to both joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
· The writer says that Scripture is …
o Living
o Active
o Powerful
o alive.
o It has the power on its own to change us.
· Wing Clip
· And it is sharper than any double-edged sword.
o When you think about a sharp sword what comes to mind?
§ It can cut you deep.
o James is saying…
§ It can cut and get down into our thoughts and attitudes.
§ It can cut us wide open and help us see what we need to change.
· The Bible is like a surgical tool.
· Let me say this: surgery doesn’t happen very effectively on a subway, when you’re going at breakneck speed.
o Surgery doesn’t take place on the fly.
o Surgery requires focus, attention, time, and deliberation.
· For the Word of God to slice and penetrate and divide and surgically cut into my life so as to make a real difference, I’ve got to study it.
o I’ve got to stoop down and give it the time.
o I’ve got to read the Bible so that the Bible reads me, and study the Bible so that the Bible studies me, and mark the Bible so that the Bible marks me.
· We got to
o dig deep
o ask questions of the text to understand what it is saying.
· The Bible is not always easy to understand is it?
2) Meditate on It.
· James makes an interesting statement in verse 25. He says,
“But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this …”
· I think what James is talking about here is
o that it’s one thing to study the Bible.
o it’s another thing to meditate on God’s word.
· What does it mean to meditate on God’s word?
o Thing about what it’s saying.
o how it applies to you.
· My homelitics professor was Jerry Sutton. One of the things he used to say, before you are even ready to write a sermon you need to read the text at least 15 times.
o Why?
§ Want to meditate on it.
§ Let it penetrate your heart and mind.
· So, when I prepare to study for a sermon or teaching a passage.
o I read it 15 times
o I meditate on it.
o Each time I read it, it becomes clearer and clearer.
· Need to ask some questions of the text.
o Observation: What does it say?
o Interpretation: What does it mean?
o Generalization: What is the Main Theme?
o Application: What difference does it make?
o Implementation: What must I change?
3) Apply it.
· We…
o study God’s Word
o meditate on it;
o then we look for application,
§ (How does this apply to me?)
· Listen: The Bible can…
o change your mind
o change how you feel,
o But what God is looking for, is He wants it to change your life.
· How do I know if my Bible study is doing me any good?
o Is it affecting your behavior and attitude?
o Is it revealing your flaws to you?
o Is it uncovering your weaknesses?
Illustration: When I used to be serious about my golf game. I was always reading books about the golf swing. If I had a problem in my game like hooking, slicing, putting bad, I would read a book or a maganize. I would studying to see what the writer was saying. I would like about it. Meditate on it. Mentally think about it.
· What would this look like?
· Is this really my problem?
· Would this fix it?
· If I thought it would. I would go to the golf course and hit golf balls.
· This is what James is telling us. Study it, Meditate on it, and apply it.
A practice in application
· Let’s test this out on a passage of Scripture.
“If anyone considers himself religious and does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:26-27
· Ok God loves widow and orphans and so should I.
o Is that the main theme of this passage?
· Not really, so I have to dig deeper.
o I have to look at the verses before this passage again.
· Here is what the passage is saying:
o Talk is cheap.
o I can think I am religious because I have some head knowledge.
o But God isn’t just looking for head knowledge.
o He wants us to apply our knowledge.
o To be involved in serving people that may never be able to even say thank you.
o Be compassionate and kind.
o Don’t follow this world; but do what Jesus asks you to do.
· Do you see how you begin to apply that to your own life?
o To get there you have to…
§ Study the Word
§ Mediate on the Word
§ Apply the Word (BE DOERS)
Conclusion
· Do you remember the mirror in Snow White?
o The witch would come and say, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
o Sometimes the mirror would tell her exactly what she wanted to hear.
o But there came a point—because mirrors don’t lie—that the mirror told her, “No, you’re not the fairest.”
o And rather than receiving the truth, the witch walked away furious, missing an opportunity for her life to truly be changed.
· James’ words for us today is a warning.
· He is telling us that if you want to grow in your walk with Christ.
Nugget: If you want to be changed by God’s Word, you must study it, meditate on it, and apply it.
· Here is the biggest problem.
· Most Christians don’t even read their Bibles.
o They don’t even take the first step.
o Much less apply it.
· Here is my challenge to you this week. Read your Bible every day this week. (Read James 2:1-11)
o Study it.
o Meditate on it.
o Apply it.
· I am going to preach that passage next week. And then you can let me know how well you did.
