Accurate Life (Part 2) Series

TOPIC: ACCURATE LIFE (PART 2)

(45h of a Series in the Book of James – A Life That Make a Difference Series)

Text: James 1:22-25

Introduction:

(ILL. Isang batang nasa ika-apat na grado ang kalalabas lang ng klase ang napadaan sa mga matatandang malapit sa kanilang bahay. At isa mula sa matatanda ang nagtanong sa kaniya, “O boy, labas ka pala, ano naman ang nagging liksyon ninyo ngayong araw na ito?” “Paggamit ng “PO” at “OPO” sagot ng bata. “Eh may natutunan ka ba naman?” tanong pa ng matanda. Sumagot ang bata na nagmamalaki pa, “Aba ay OO.”) This morning we will continue the second part of the topic “Accurate Life”. Last Sunday we study James 1:19-21 and we reminded to have accurate life with regards to our ways. James told us to become quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to angry in relation to God’s Word and he gave us a solution to do it in order for our walk to be accurate also. James told us to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is prevalent today and by humbly accepting the Word planted in us. And this morning I would like to continue the second part of this topic. Let’s open our Bible in James 1:22-25 (read). Let’s pray first! To have an accurate life not only with our ways, with our walk but also with the Word. From our text we can see two kinds of hearer of Gods Word. Those who are:

1. DECIEVED vv. 22-24

James described us here those kind of hearer that just listening but not doing about what they heard. And he compare them to a person who “looks his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” Who among you here look at the mirror before coming to church this morning? Did you still remember what you look like when you look at the mirror this morning? I don’t think many of us will remember it. How many of you heard the sermon last week? Do you still remember the text and the points I shared? I don’t think so. Who did his devotion today? Do you remember the Word you study today? I don’t think so! That is why James compares those people who just listen and not doing what it says to look at the mirror. The Word of God was compare to different object such as: Hammer, seed, fire, food, etc. But here God’s Word was compared to a mirror. A mirror will show you the truth about your face, about your self. There is some mirror that flatters you when you look at it. Minsan tumataba ka, o kaya pumapayat ka, o kaya gumaganda ka, but God word will not flatter you it will tell you the truth about your self, about the sins that you need to confess, the things you need to give up, the changes you need to do, the blemish you need to wipe, the character you need to straighten up, the things you need to do, etc. After looking and you forget everything then you DECIEVED yourself other translation is BETRAYING yourself (deception contrary to the truth). There are a lot of people, most especially Christians that deceived themselves. Sometimes we look at what we are doing rather than looking to what the Word of God says. In Matthew 7:21-23, “21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!” It is not what we do for God but what God’s wants us to do! It is not what we are building but on what we build, Jesus calls this kind of hearer as FOOLISH! Mat 7:26 – 27, “26 Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn’t obey them is like a FOOLISH person who built a house on sand. 27 The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.” Where do we build our life? God wants us to build our life not on deception of just being a hearer, a listener, but go to the next level of hearer or listener and that is the level of being blessed.

2. BLESSED vv. 25

Hearing is in order to doing; the most attentive and the most frequent hearing of the word of God will not avail us, unless we are also doers of it. James described the other hearer of God’s Word is those who looks INTENTLY and CONTINUES to do what the Word of God says. And because of this he will be blessed! In previous verse it says, “…humbly accept the word planted in you…” Christians begin their new life in Christ by being born again “through the word of truth” v. 18. That is why new life in Christ demands that we get rid of all moral filth that offends the Holy Spirit who lives in us, and that we steadfast in accepting God’s Word in our hearts. The term here “planted” implies that the Word must become a part of our very nature, it is what I always said, “putting river inside us” that will come naturally from within us. It is either we are a dry river or a flowing river. James used the word here “intently” closely, fixedly, carefully, attentively, keenly, absorbedly the Word of God. It is something that you intentionally doing, disciplining yourself. And “continues” go on, persist, keep on, maintain, remain, last, endlessly, constantly, always not seasonal, not that if you okay, not that if you still have time. “Intently” and “continuously” to look into the “perfect law that gives freedom”. This law (2:12) is the will of God internalized in our hearts by the indwelling Holy Spirit, Eze. 11:19-20, “19 Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me 20 and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God.” Through faith in Christ we receive not only mercy and forgiveness (2:12-13), but also the power and freedom to obey God’s law, It is called the “law that gives freedom” because the believers desires to do God’s will. It must not be viewed as a freedom to violate Christ’s commands, but rather as the freedom and power to obey them. And this truth gives us the drive to not just be a hearer of the Word but a doer. If God’s Word is really planted in our hearts withy humility then it must grow and bear fruits in our lives by doing what it says. If we are not just hearers but doers then the promised here is that “we will be BLESSED in what we does (his life of obedience).” The emphasis here is not in the manner of looking, it is on the duty of continuing or persevering in the observance of the law. This blessedness does not lie in knowing, but in doing the will of God. Jesus said in John 13:17, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Jesus also calls this hearer as WISE! Mat 7:24 – 25, “24 Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a WISE person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock.” God tell this truth to Joshua that through an obedient life to God’s Word he would experience success and prosperity. Joshua 1:8, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be CAREFUL TO DO everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” We can see the principles here that real and true prosperity and success in our life is not base on what we try to do but it is a product of an obedient life to the Word of God. In Psalm this is also what the Psalmist discover, Psalm 1:1-3, “1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper.” Active listening is accompanied by doing. There must be inward practice by meditation, and outward practice in true obedience. It is not enough to remember what we hear, and to be able to repeat it, and to give testimony to it, and commend it, and write it, and preserve what we have written; that which all this is in order to, and which crowns the rest, is that we be doers of the word of God. Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” It is not talking, but walking, that will bring us to heaven.