Go! And Move from Knowing to Living
Introduction
Church, let me begin with a question: What good is it to know the truth, yet never live it out?
We live in a world overflowing with information. We can download sermons, read devotionals, listen to podcasts, and fill our shelves with books. But spiritual growth is not about how much we know; it is about how much we live.
Jesus never said, “Blessed are those who know these truths.” He said:
John 13:17 (NLT): “Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”
Our series is called Go! And…, and today we focus on Go! And Move from Knowing to Living.
The key verse is James 1:22 (NLT): “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
Knowledge is important, but knowledge without obedience is dangerous. To know and not do is to deceive ourselves.
Let us unpack this together.
1. The Danger of Knowledge Without Obedience
James 1:23–24 (NLT): “For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”
James, the half-brother of Jesus, is addressing scattered believers who faced trials and temptations. His message is practical: faith is not intellectual assent; it must shape daily life.
The Greek word for listen here is akroatai, meaning “auditors” — like students who sit in a lecture hall, hearing but never engaging.
How many of us treat the Bible that way? We audit the Word of God instead of enrolling as full participants in the life of God.
Matthew 7:24–27 (NLT): Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock… But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.”
Both groups heard the Word. Only one lived it. Only one stood firm.
John Piper once said: “The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie… the things that are not sinful in themselves but that keep us from pursuing God.”
In other words, it’s not always heresy that derails us — sometimes it’s our comfort, distraction, or complacency.
Imagine a man who goes to the doctor. The doctor says, “You must take this medicine every day or you will die.” The man nods, thanks the doctor, takes the prescription, and then places the medicine on a shelf. He knows what to do — but he never takes it. His knowledge doesn’t save him.
So too, if we only know God’s Word but never live it, it will not transform us.
2. The Call to Live Out the Word
James 1:25 (NLT): “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
The phrase “look carefully” translates the Greek word parakypto, which means “to stoop down and examine closely.” It’s not a casual glance but a deep searching.
The perfect law that sets you free refers not to legalistic ritual, but to the Gospel of Christ. True freedom is not doing whatever we please; it is living under the reign of Jesus.
Romans 12:1–2 (NLT): “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you… Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
Living out the Word means surrendering all we are to God.
Charles Stanley wrote: “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
That’s the life of faith. We do not obey because it is easy, but because Christ is Lord, and His way is best.
Consider a soldier. He doesn’t just memorise the training manual. He applies it in the field. In battle, knowledge must become action. Likewise, Christianity is not a classroom exercise but a battleground reality.
3. The Power of the Gospel in Moving from Knowing to Living
At the heart of Christianity is not rules but redemption.
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NLT): “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
The Greek word euangelion (Gospel) means “good news.” The Gospel is not merely to be understood; it is to be embraced, trusted, and lived out.
Galatians 2:20 (NLT): “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
This is more than knowledge. This is transformation.
Tim Keller wrote: “The Gospel is not just the ABC of the Christian life but the A to Z.”
It is not the starting point only; it is the power by which we live daily.
We must ask: is my faith intellectual — or incarnational? Do I know Christ, or do I live Christ?
The Gospel Invitation:
Friend, maybe you’ve known about Jesus for years. You know the stories, the sermons, the songs. But have you truly trusted Him as Lord and Saviour?
The Gospel is clear:
We are sinners. (Romans 3:23)
The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
But Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
And all who call on Him will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
This is not about knowing facts. This is about surrendering your life to Jesus Christ. He died, He was buried, and He rose again so that you could be forgiven, set free, and made new.
Will you move from knowing to living today?
Call to Action for Believers:
Church, God is calling us to go beyond Bible trivia, beyond surface faith. He calls us to radical obedience.
Don’t just know prayer — pray.
Don’t just know generosity — give.
Don’t just know forgiveness — forgive.
Don’t just know the Great Commission — go and make disciples.
As D.L. Moody once said: “The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.”
Conclusion :
Brothers and sisters, let us not be hearers only, but doers. Let us move from knowing to living, from hearing to obeying, from information to transformation.
Benediction:
May the Lord strengthen you to not only know His Word but to live it. May Christ dwell richly in you, empowering you by His Spirit to walk in obedience. And may the world see in your life not only what you know, but who you follow — Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Saviour. Amen.
