Now Let's Be Obedient

This past month we asked the question if we even need the Bible. We also talked about listening to God instead of just hearing His word. Last week we talked about meditating on God's word and really taking it to heart.

I am going to go back to the book of James today to talk about what we do once we have read our Bible, and listened to what God has told us, and meditated on that word, and etched it into our hearts. Do you believe that the Bible can help us with any circumstance that comes into our life. It is always good advice. But do we take seriously the advice from God?

We get all kinds of advice from experts in their field. Mechanics recommend that we change the oil in our cars every so many 1000 miles. But we often drive far beyond that before we get around to changing it. Doctors tell us to eat well and exercise regularly to have good health. But most of us probably disregard this advice, at least some of the time. Dentists ask us to brush and floss our teeth routinely. But few of us look forward to having to face up when the dentist asks us about it at the next appointment.

The reality of it all is that we know a lot of the best practices but we do few of them consistently. That tells us that knowledge by itself is not good enough. We need to act on what we know. And I am sure that you know where I am going with this.

The same principle applies to much more than oil changes, exercise regiments, and flossing habits. The Bible teaches us what we are to do. We don't read, study, and memorize God's word just to know it. God expects us to act on and obey what we learn. Let's spend a little time this morning learning from God's word how to be more obedient to His advice. Prayer.

If we were to honestly admit it, most of us don't like to be told what to do. Whether it's a speed limit sign on the highway, or Doctor's orders. Our natural inclination is to shun authority or at least ignore it.

We might get away with that in some areas of life. But we cannot follow Jesus without allowing Him to tell us how to live. In order for us to have a relationship with Jesus, we must obey His commands. Jesus clearly told us:

John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”

So let's listen now to what God says through James. James was the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the first century church in Jerusalem. So, in his book he offers some practical advice on how to obey Jesus in the real world.

James 1:19-21 – “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. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Do you see it? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is inseparably linked to His word. The ability to obey any of God's word comes from the Gospel's power that Jesus implants inside your heart at the moment of salvation. The same Gospel that gave you salvation also empowers you to be obedient to God's word.

And it very simply gets down to this. As we embrace the Gospel in the word of God, we turn from our old way of life. So, James tells us that we are to rid ourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. And that's what happens when we turn away from our old way of living and turn to Jesus through faith in His Gospel. It goes beyond the initial salvation experience. We are to continually rid ourselves of this filth and evil for the remainder of our lives. And that takes obedience to God's word.

We as a churchy, people might generally think of moral filth and prevalent evil as the so-called sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And of course it includes that. But James calls our attention to our daily habits that we struggle with but have a temptation to overlook. So James goes to meddling now. He calls our attention to the way we listen, the way we speak, and the way we exhibit anger. When we do those things poorly, they are the filth and evil James is describing since human anger does not “accomplish God's righteousness.”

I am not sure if you realize it or not, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the Good News) actually gives us the power to be obedient. God wants us to act on what we know from Scripture by displaying a different disposition. So, we're told to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. And when we do this, we demonstrate humility and act on what we know from God's word.