Genuine Faith Aligns With The Word Series

Genuine faith aligns with the Word 1:19-27

A legacy is not a list of accomplishments. It is the imprint

you leave on the future. Brian Dodd

There is no godliness without a vibrant relationship with the Word of God.?

Alignment empowers!

To align with the Word, we must: (build)

?1. Receive the word. 1:19-21 (on screen)

? 2. Respond to the word. 1:22-25(on screen)

?3. Renewed by the word. 1:26-27 (on screen)

Happy Father’s Day! If you’re a dad, stand so we can celebrate you this morning. Going to give out a gift card to the dad who has the wildest outfit this morning. If you think you’re a candidate, come on up! (have audience judge)

There is nothing more important to society, to our country, to our church, and to our families than godly dads. A godly dad is a light for Jesus in his workplace. A godly dad stands in the gap for his family, protecting them both physically and spiritually, praying for and guiding his children wisely. A godly dad loves his wife as Christ loves the church.? One of the things I love about Rush Creek is how the men in our church take seriously their walk with God and the responsibilities He gives them. Every man has a chance to either extend the legacy of his godly dad if he had one, or begin a new legacy if he didn’t. A legacy is not a list of accomplishments. It is the imprint you leave on the future. Brian Dodd

And of course, it goes without saying, a godly dad’s life is built on and aligns with God’s word. There is no godliness without a vibrant relationship with the word of God.? That goes for everyone this morning, doesn’t it? The child sitting with her parents, the teenager trying to stay awake right now. The woman who struggling at home being both mom AND dad. This applies to each and every one of us: There is no godliness without a vibrant relationship with the word of God. It is the word of God that directs us. It is the word of God that instructs us. It is the word of God that gives us hope in despair and strength in adversity. ? Turn with me to James 1:19-27 in your Bibles. We continue our series out of the book of James. This book is maybe THE most practical book in the entire New Testament. It helps us connect the dots between faith… and practice; between what we should believe and how we should act. Remember, the theme of James is: ‘Genuine faith produces a genuine life.’ Our problem is that we say we believe one way and then we act another, right? We say we believe that we should be patient, but we honk at the person sitting in front of us who is not moving at a green light! We say that we believe we should be pure, but we look at images that cause us to lust. We say that we believe we should be content with whatever God gives us, but we keep chasing the illusions and false promises of materialism.? So in the passage we’re studying this morning is about aligning our lives with God’s word. Alignment is what empowers. Alignment empowers! (Hand motions) God has all this power He offers to us, but our lives have to be in alignment with His word. Note to self, if you are not experiencing power and victory in your life, it’s because your life is not aligned with the word of God.

So To align with the Word, we must: (build)?1. Receive the word. 1:19-21 (on screen)

Look at v.21 again. “humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” The word implanted…it’s the only time it is used in the New Testament. It’s the idea that the word has been planted in our hearts and it brought salvation to us. Remember Jesus told the parable of the sower: he sowed seed indiscriminately; some fell on rocks and didn’t take root, some fell on shallow soil but died out; some fell in soil with thorns that choked it out; but some fell on fertile soil and it grew and bore fruit. The word of the gospel has taken root in the hearts of most of us here and has brought what? Salvation.? But we are admonished here to receive the word. That’s odd. How do we receive what is already in us? Here’s what it means. When Jesus would go throughout Galilee teaching, many times the Bible says that they received His word gladly. So it’ the idea to water and fertilize and cherish the word in us by accepting what it says; by receiving it gladly.

It’s interesting in this passage that it ends with the idea of hearing and receiving the word gladly, but it begins with a discussion about angry outbursts. Look at vv.19-20 “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” Dang! James is so stinking practical. There’s nowhere to hide. There no way to dodge this. My irritation, my anger, my outbursts of frustration do-not-achieve the righteousness of God.