Are You In The Word

Evangelist Cry Ministry

Huger, South Carolina

Dr. Levi Howard Wright, Ph.D.

"Are You In The Word?"

or

“Do You Have Pure Religion?”

James 1:19-27

[19] Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

[20] For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

[21] Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

[22] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

[24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

[26] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

INTRODUCTION

In our TEXT today the Apostle James declares unto us that "We should be faithful doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

If you are in the WORD the WORLD will not be in you!

The Word is not an icon for righteousness. The Word of God is the vehicle by which you and I get to know and become intimate with God.

If you want to know who God is - it’s in the Word.

If you want to know about the past - it’s in the Word.

If you want to know about some of greatest lines of prose and poetry - it’s in the Word.

If you want to know about the future - it’s in the Word.

However, that is not the problem. The Word is not the problem. The problem is “Are you in the Word?”

I’m not asking about whether you can find your name in the Bible.

I’m not asking about whether or not you can relate to the hardships of Abraham or the faith of Moses.

But my question today, my Brothers and Sisters is simple: “Are you in the Word?

Is the Word of God important to you in your daily life?

If the Word of God is not important to you, and you claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour - you are in Spiritual Trouble.

If the Word of God is not important to you.... you will never live the kind of life that God intends for you to live.

You’ll have SALVATION, but NO STRENGTH.

You’ll have SALVATION, but NO POWER.

You’ll have SALVATION, but NO JOY.

You’ll have SALVATION, but NO TESTIMONY.

And if you want to know why a child of God acts a fool in critical situations - you’ll find out that.... that child of God is not interested or in the Word!

We are LIVING in CRITICAL TIMES. Our government is spending literally billions of dollars trying to make changes.... in the lives of people. But changes are not made by the sound of the Legislative Gavel.

Changes are made when men and women, boys and girls, have a “Change of Habit and a Change of Heart”.

Yes, the Word of God is the only vehicle that can effectively Change our LIFE.

Perhaps, the Apostle James was very “Empathic” about this principle because he had seen first hand account of the changes:

Peter had changed from a Cussing Fisherman to a Preaching Pastor.

Matthew had changed from a Tax Collector to a Gospel Writer.

Paul had changed from a Heartless Killer to a Holy Ghost-Filled Apostle.

Yes, everytime a man comes into contact with the Word of God..... there is gonna be a change.

The old folk used to say that “the Word of God will either Draw you or Drive you.”

And whenever the Word of God becomes Real in your life you can’t stay the same.

The Apostle James tells us that the Word of God must become a Living...... and Breathing part of our Spiritual Lifestyle.

Lifestyle says a lot about who and what we are.

"So a man thinketh, so is he..."

If you look with me closely at this TEXT you can clearly see... James’ FOCUS moves squarely on the Process of the Word of God.

He has already told us that we must Guard our Hearing, our Tongues, and Ourselves.

And now, the most important factor is revealed in how to accomplish this task ..... the WORD of GOD must be OPERATIONAL in our HEART and in our LIVES!