How are you Doing?

Introduction

Pastor Stuart Briscoe was teaching the principles of Bible Study. He showed how to pick out the promises and the commands of Scripture, and what to do with them. Finally, he reviewed and asked, “Now what do you do with the commands?” A lady raised her hand and said “ I highlight them in blue”. Now we know that underlining the commands way make for a colorful Bible, but the point of the commands is that we obey them.

We can get caught up in the habit of just capturing the Words of the Bible for a brief moment. It would be like us going fishing and pulling up a nice bass and saying “ Hey that’s a nice fish”, and sliding in back into the water, thinking it would be nice to catch it again someday. The Bible is the living Word and it was written to for our daily guide in life. There are polls out there that show we who identify as Christians are not living much different from the rest of the world. Now I’m not going to drill down on that but only mentioned it to set the stage for today’s message. The same lady was exiting the church a couple Sunday later and as the pastor shook hands with her, She exclaimed, “Just a wonderful sermon, every thing you said applies to someone I know”.

This morning as we turn to James 1:22 I would like for you to keep that thought in your mind. We won’t be long this morning as please stay with we and focus on this passage that call’s us out to be more that hearers. We are to be doers of the Word.

Listen to Hear

As you are doing the very thing that I am speaking of right now this is an easy point to illustrate. Of course I am assuming you are listening to me. Remember that old saying “ God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason”. That is to tell us we should listen twice as much as we talk. This verse says it this way, Be swift to hear. The problem that I have and trying to work on is that when someone to talking instead of listening I’m forming my reply. The same with Scripture we should quickly agree with the Word and save ourselves a lot of pain trying to prove it wrong. There are hundreds of examples of that in the Bible. Where people knew the right thing to do and did the opposite and paid the price for it. Lying, stealing, gossip, adultery, these are some of the things that through out the ages and even unto today, we know not to do but do anyway.

Even anger which is listed there in our passage. Some may say it’s good to get anger over certain things in life. But is those the things you usually get angry over? No probably it’s someone else’s driving or the lack of checkout’s at Walmart. That’s not good for you and it certainly doesn’t bring any glory to God. The NLT calls it Human anger and I like that. Human anger is a steeping stone to other sins, like using God’s name in vain and may even lead to taking another life. Allow the Word to soothe your anger and other wrong actions to make you into a usable tool for God.

Listen and Do

James is speaking to a church going people in his epistle. The Jewish Christians were used to hearing the read in their services. Most if not all needed to listen because they did not have a scroll of their own like we have bibles. They were used to checking the box for completed commands or rituals: Communion, baptism, and church attendance, those things we do to validate our belief system. But those are just the beginning of doing what the Word calls us to do. Obedience is the desired outcome to bible study not bible knowledge. Just think if God said here is my directions to you. Read it everyday and each Friday we will have a quiz and those who receive a passing grade will receive my favor for the following week.

This is what He says about that in 2 Tim 3:16. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, and correction. It other words it teaches us to do what is right.

Listen and Don’t

If your a guy I wonder if anyone else is like me and cut their selves shaving and to stop it bleeding they put a piece of toilet paper on it? I’ve done that before and then take a glance in the mirror out the door and then get to work and someone say “Hey what’s that on your face”. You noticed that there was a problem but you didn’t take action and it caused you some embarrassment. You walked away and forgot about it.

The Word is life a mirror of our hearts. It revels our intentions and thoughts and my friend they are not always wholesome and good as if I needed to tell you that. Heb 4:12 tells us that in a powerful way. If you look in the bible and it says love your neighbor as yourself and you haven’t spoken to them in years. Houston we have a problem! It is just the blunt truth that we can glance at and walk away or say that is something I can work on today.

James is saying it’s not the mirror’s fault, it just some us the truth. We can either take action or try and forget about it. But the mirror just showed us the truth. It’s not we have bad memories it’s we have bad priorities. You could say something like this “ I don’t have time to go over to the neighbors’s house and try and connect with her or him, I have to --------. You fill in the blank, make money, go fishing, play golf, go shopping.

Whatever we put in front of spiritual things are what we consider more important than our relationship with God. There I said it. I’m guilty of it and so are most of you. We are in good or bad company it depends on how you look at them. The Israelites for one, Deut 6:12 and then later in Deut 8:2. The children of Israel had a memory problem they would forget how good God had been to them.

I remember working in the steel mill ARMCO had this thing called an AVO. It was a written instruction to pass on the the back turn to get something done. Why did the General Foremen need to write an AVO? Because the workers would say Oh, I forgot. Mostly they didn’t forget they just didn’t have the right priority. The AVO got their attention because they could be disciplined for not doing it. God has written what He wants done it our lives right here and it says that if we try and live our lives obeying it, it will lead He will bless us for it.

Listen and be Free

One reason I love to preach is it require a deep view of scripture. Those of you how teach or preach know what I am talking about. The best way to teach in my opinion is to fill yourself up with the scripture and teach yourself empty. It takes more than a casual glance at the Bible. Yogi Berra said it this quirky way “ You can see a lot by just looking”. Verse 25 says “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty”. The crazy thing is the word looked is the same word for stooped in the Greek. For some reason I think of a pretty flower. Your out walking and this beautiful flower catches your eye and you stoop down and examine it. The bible should cause us to stoop down and examine it closely. Then taking instruction from it do what it calls us to do. This is not the quick fix, name and claim it approach, this is the one foot in front the other over and over again in a lifetime. The good news is the blessing that you will receive. Psalm 1:1-3 Isn’t this a beautiful picture of the trees prosper along the river? We are blessed to see many examples of this in the along our many streams and rivers in this area. Look intently into the word it you will grow deep roots and have much fruit in your life.

Listen and don’t be Religious

There is a word in verse 26 and 27 that is miss used in the world today, Religious. Don’t you find it odd that people would identify by this word and it’s only used here and two other places in the whole bible. It’s thrown around in a lot of different ways. She is religious and doesn’t cuss, drink, smoke, or chew. Or they like religious music, or they got religion. James is showing us that religion is a thing and not a way of life. Religion is something you think about yourself. It’s a way you can puff yourself up and say look at me. The bible has a description of this: Worthless. That is the way verse 26 ends but then in verse 27 we see what real worship or religion is about: serving others rather than ourselves. What is it about widows and orphans that make them deserving of assistance? It that day these were persons who not only needed help there was no way of them ever paying you back. Correct me if I’m wrong but helping your buddy build a shed is pay back for the time he helped you pour the floor in your basement. Although it most always good to help each other, the bible calls us to help those who can never pay us back. That’s where the real joy is at in life. To give to the outcast, the poor, the broken down is to know the joy of Jesus Christ. Mother Theresa said it this way “Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do 'Nothing' for you”. We can either own that statement or ignore it but it’s true.

Closing

I’m going to land this message with a commitment to do something this week for someone that can never pay me back. Not a family member or a member of our church but a stranger if possible. I’m going to pray for that opportunity and when it comes to me what to do, I’m going to write it down so I won’t forget it. Then go it! Maybe it won’t make a bit of difference if their life but then again it could impact them in a way we could have never imagined. Let’d do it! Maybe you are already doing this on a regular basis Cool an extra one won’t matter to you. Let’s be doers of the Word this week and watch God bless it.