Faithful Believers or Self Deceivers?
James 1:22-25
Introduction:
It is not enough to hear God’s Word, we must live it and obey it. Many people have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or a Bible study is what makes them grow and receive God’s blessing. It is not the hearing but the doing that brings God’s blessing.
The Lord expects his people to be hearers and doers, not self-deceived bench warmers.
It is a self-deluded man who thinks he will get credit for listening to the word of God while doing nothing about it
Preposition:
A great danger is that
Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them!
If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only deceiving yourself.
Transitional sentence:
James tells us there’s a big difference between knowing Gods word and living it.
Spiritual self-deception can affect us in all areas of our lives. What we must remember is that the goal of hearing God’s word is not mere Information but transformation.
James 1:22-25 NIV
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But 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.
Understanding the significance of this scripture
1. Often times we have a tendency to over-estimate our wisdom, our strength and goodness.
2. Were unprepared for life challenges.
3. We allow ourselves to be deceived.
Imagine this:
She woke up early and decided to take a walk. The air was clear and brisk, the birds were singing to one another in the trees. She stopped for a moment to say hello, and pat a mother deer and her 2 babies. The morning sun was just beginning to sneak over the horizon, turning the morning sky into a symphony of brilliant colors. O how she loved her life with Adam in the garden.
As she was walking, she realized that she had walked into the middle of the garden. And there standing with great splendor and power was the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil." It was a truly magnificent tree, it’s limbs were broad and strong, stretching out into the garden, bearing it’s divine fruit.
Suddenly, she perceived that she was not alone, she turned and looked behind her and saw The Serpent. The serpent agreed with Eve, that it was a truly magnificent tree, and then he began to entice her, with his shrewd words of deception. "Did God really say that you can’t eat from this tree? Surely you won’t die, if you eat from it. God just doesn’t want you to eat from it because he wants to hold you back, He doesn’t want you to be as wise as he is. So go on take a bite, you will see, it won’t hurt you, doesn’t it look delicious, come on take a bite, you know that you really want to, besides Eve you deserve it, you owe it to yourself."
As Eve pondered what the serpent said, it began to seem more & more reasonable to her. And as she reached her hand towards the fruit a strange and eerie silence fell over the entire garden, it was as if the garden itself had taken a deep breathe, in fear & unbelief at what was now taking place.
The dark tides of deception had been set in motion, it’s waves are powerful and forceful, and they strive to pull men in (like a mighty undertow), moving them along with ever increasing force, until they bring their prey crashing against the rocks of self-destruction.
As Eve bit into the fruit she experienced the full blunt of the blow, she suffered and stands as a testimony to the "Agony of Deceit," to the Dangers of deceiving ourselves.
Tragically, we know Satan deception did not end in the garden. He is still deceiving many in thinking it’s O.K. to relax, and to become careless in our Christianity.
Our pride keeps us from admitting our sins and won’t allow us to engage in self-examination (2 Cor.13:5).
As a result, we think more highly of ourselves than what we ought to (Rom.12:3).
There are several lessons James wants us to understand!
I. A man is DECEIVED if he is a hearer and not a doer of the Word (James 1:22).
a) Let the living Word lead
b) Let the living Word transform
c) Let the living Word empower
d) Let the living Word embolden
II. A man is DECEIVED when he seems to be religious and does not bridle his tongue (James 1:26).
Ps 15:1-3 NIV
15:1 A psalm of David.
LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue,
III. A man is DECEIVED if he forgets His purpose
James 1:27 KJV
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.
IV. A man is DECEIVED if he favors anyone because of their position or wealth over anyone else, only seeking personal gain.
James 2:8 KJV
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
V. A man is DECEIVED if he proclaims faith, yet has no works. (evidence)
James 2:14-18 KJV
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
In addition to James:
VI. A man is DECEIVED when he thinks himself to be wise with worldly wisdom (1 Cor. 3:18).
VII. A man is DECEIVED when he thinks that he will not reap what he sows (Gal. 6:7).
VIII. A man is DECEIVED when he thinks that evil company will not corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33).
Now just as Satan DECEIVED Eve. He will try to DECEIVE you to not pay attention to the above. Will you let him?
Summery
We can avoid self-deception if we will engage in self-examination regularly, and if we will listen to those who would correct us when we err.
Conclusion
James reminds us that there are two paths you can choose as a Christian.
1. One is a Faithful Believers,
2. the others is a Self Deceiver?
To hear what the Bible teaches about life and even agree with it, but to do nothing about it - that’s just self-deception.
