Audio - Being Doers of the Word

Play Audio
MP3 Download (21.5mb)

The Fifth Sunday After Easter
Being Doers of the Word
May 17, 2009

TEXT:  (James 1:22-27 NKJ) 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 observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
 
James is the brother of Jesus—James was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem—he understood that you cannot sit in the pews for week after week and not demonstrate your love for God by doing good deeds—that is the will of God—even as it is taught by our Savior Jesus Christ
 
Some scholars believe that James is the first epistle written to the Church—it is actually written to the Jews who have been hearing the Word preached for about a generation—but they were not responding to the Word—they attended the meetings of the church—but they did not respond to the teachings of the Word—James knew that this was a serious issue for the Church—and he wrote this letter to warn the people—Jesus’ teachings were clear
 
(Matthew 7:21 NKJ) "Not everyone who says to Me,`Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
 
Not everyone obeyed Jesus’ teachings—that concerned James—and it concerned Jesus
 
"(Luke 6:46 NKJ) But why do you call Me`Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?
 
Today we recognize the Word of God as the only authority—and we can validate doctrine by searching God’s Word—just as Jesus instructed
 
(John 7:17 NKJ) "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
 
 
Paul also taught that Christians must obey the will of God—listen as Paul tells us that we are justified by our obedience to the laws of God—not the 613 laws given in God’s Word to His Old Testament people—but the law God imprinted into the heart of all men—when we do wrong—we know it is wrong—the law of God that is written on our heart—that internal law tells us when we disobey
 
(Romans 2:12-16 NKJ) For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
 
James reinforces his point that there are some who hear the Word of God—but do not heed the Word—nor do they obey the things God tells us to do—it is equivalent to looking into a mirror—seeing a soiled spot on your face—and walking away without doing anything to correct the dirty spot—the sinner that hears the Word—recognizes his own sin—and walks away without doing anything to correct the sin—that person is an unrepentant and unforgiven sinner
 
We cannot attend worship—hear the Word—and walk out of church to resume living our lives any which way we want—we have a responsibility to live our lives for the Lord—what does that mean?—it means that we live our life loving God and loving our neighbor—living to serve God by serving others who need our help—God gave us Jesus so that we may have salvation
In appreciation for the comfort of knowing that we are citizens of heaven—we share what we have with others—including our knowledge of God and His grace and mercy—we must continuously consider how to serve—thus the example of the mirror—look at yourself and clean up the soiled areas you see through the Law of the Word—and the law written on your heart
 
Paul tells us that we must examine ourselves prior to approaching the altar of God to partake the sacrament of Holy Communion
 
(1 Corinthians 11:28 NKJ) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
 
Paul further tells us that we should not restrict examination of ourselves to the taking of the Sacrament—we need to examine ourselves continuously—Paul knows we are weak in faith—we need to be ever-vigilant of that weakness—because Satan will certainly take advantage of it to attack our souls and our salvation
 
(2 Corinthians 13:4-5 NKJ) For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. 5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless indeed you are disqualified.
 
One of Paul’s most telling chapters of Scripture is Romans chapter 7—here Paul tells us how he used the Law as his “mirror” to examine himself for sin
 
(Romans 7:14-25 NKJ) For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
 
Paul really understood that the ceremonial law of the Old Testament was a law of bondage and punishment—and that the Gospel gave liberty from that Old Testament Law—and freedom from the bondage of sin—God knew we couldn’t live in accordance with the Law—so He sent His Son, Jesus to establish a new covenant with man—just as He promised through the Prophet Jeremiah
 
(Jeremiah 31:31-34 NKJ) "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,`Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
 
Man fell into sin because he could not obey the one law that God gave them—“Do not eat of this one tree in the garden.”—today we are no better than them—Jesus reduced the commandments to two—love God & love your neighbor
 
(Matthew 22:37-40 NKJ) 37  Jesus said to him, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment. 39 "And the second is like it:`You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
 
We cannot simply recognize that there is a God—acknowledge that the Bible is God’s Word—and proceed out of church to have others believe we are Christians—the very word Christian means to be like Christ—the perfect man who lived His life for everyone else—for us He died—so we could live—we must be Christ-like—living for others—just like Jesus taught us in His discussion of Judgment Day


 
 
(Matthew 25:31-40 NKJ) "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32  "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand,`Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 `for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 `I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,`Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38  `When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39  `Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "And the King will answer and say to them,`Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
 
Jesus is teaching that being a Christian is not being a “good person” who attends church regularly, recognizes that there is a God, and lives his life as he wants—being a Christian is knowing there is a God—knowing we are God’s children—and living our lives for Him until He calls us home
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!