How To Benefit From The Bible Series

HOW TO BENEFIT FROM THE BIBLE

Growing Up Rather Than Giving Up - Part 5

James 1:19-27

Our lives are to be governed and controlled by the word of God, The Bible. Yet there are many in churches through out America the are governed and controlled by their fears, doubt, unbelief, wrong emotions and bad feelings.

The Bible is a book of blessing and benefits. It promises comfort, strength, hope, wisdom, knowledge, joy, power, and purpose. But just because you have a bible doesn’t mean you’re going to benefit from it.

· A preacher and a soap manufacturer were walking down the street one day. As they walked they notice how wrongly people were treating each other. The street were filled with corruption. The soap manufacturer looked at the preacher and said, " Preacher, that bible you preach must not be any good, it’s not helping anyone. Look at all the filth and corruption ". The preacher didn’t say anything, he just kept walking. After awhile they came up on some children that were dirty and nasty. It look as though they hadn’t taken a bath in weeks. The preacher looked at the soap Manufacturer and said, " That soap you make must not be any good. Look how filthy and dirty these children are ". The soap manufacturer replied, " Soap doesn’t work unless you use it and apply it ". That’s " right " said the preacher. " It’s the same way with the Bible. The bible want work unless people use it and apply it to their lives ".

Folks I am here to tell you this morning it doesn’t matter how many bible verse you can quote from memory. It doesn’t matter how much bible you know. You do need to know and commit God’s word to memory, but unless you use it and apply it to your daily life it will not benefit you at all. You will only experience the blessing and benefits of the bible as you apply the bible to your life and your circumstances.

Many people mark their bible but they never allow their bible to mark them. As you study God’s word, God’s word will study you.

v. 25 is the key verse, "The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does." The Bible is called the perfect law because it’s exactly what I need. It promises freedom and it promises blessing.

James, being his practical self, gives us three steps on how to benefit from the Bible.

I. THERE MUST BE A WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD

vs. 21, " Receive (Accept) the word planted in you." Circle the word "receive". This word in Greek is a hospitality term which literally means "to openly welcome the word" -- come on in. If we’re going to benefit from the word of God, then we must welcome the word God into our lives. In order for us to benefit from God’s word it must gain access into our lives.

James says it is the engrafted word. In other words This word is planted in you. In Matthew 13 Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed. Jesus said, the word of God is the seed and the soil is the heart. In this parable Jesus gives us three conditions of the heart that will hinder the effectiveness of God’s word in our lives. And then He tells us about the right heart condition.

1. The heart is not unprepared to receive the seed. They hear the word but don’t understand it the devil comes and steels it away.

2. The hardened heart. He hears the word and receives the word with joy. But it doesn’t last long for when trouble comes he is offended because of the word. This reveals a lack of commitment to stand when faced with trouble.

3. The Crowded heart. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the effectiveness of God’s word in our lives. The word of God is crowded out. This person is to busy trying gain the wealth and prosperity of the world and has no time for God’s word.

4. The prepared heart. The ground as been cultivated and watered with prayer. The weeds have been pulled to make room for the word of God.

How is it you can take two seeds that are exactly the same and plant them in two different locations and get two different crops in fruitfulness? One soil is prepared and the other is not. How is it that you can take two people and put them in the same service and hear the same message. One person gets blessed by it and the other person says he didn’t get anything out of it. One heart was prepared and one wasn’t. James says we must receive the word of God with the right attitude. He tells us how to prepare our hearts to receive the word of God.