James 1:19-27
Look, Listen, and Feel
Introduction
A. How many of you are certified in CPR?
B. After you give the two rescue breaths what are you suppose to do?
Look Listen and Feel
C. This is very important for our spiritual life also.
D. Background
1. One of my favorite books
2. James is a very pratical book
3. The Person of James is much debated there is about 3 or 4 different James is could be
4. This portion of scripture come right after James gets done talking about trials and temption I would like to examine those three different things you do in CPR
1. Look
2. Listen
3. Feel
I. Look (22-25)
A. Explanation
1. This verse if for people like me who have heard the Word preached to them all there lives
2. Just listing is really pointless
3. Notice the example of the mirror, How many times do you look in the mirror and forget how you look?
B. Application
1. Look to God
2. Look to God Not just Sunday’s
3. Look to God everyday
4. Don’t just listen DO
C. Illustration – Senior Year of Cross Country, not just the goal of making it to states, but actually doing
II. Listen (19-21)
A. Explanation
1. Did you know you have two ears?
2. Did you know that you have one mouth?
3. James is asking for a teachable spirit.
4. The Greek work for Get Rid comes from the same root at the medical term for Wax in the ear.
5. The word planted in you, can and will save you
B. Application
1. There are four ways to act:
A. Quick to hear and Quick to forget – This canceles out the gain
B. Slow to hear and Slow to Forget – His loss is cancelled by his gain
C. Slow to hear and quick to forget – This leads to evil
D. Quick to hear and Slow to Forget – This is the wise man
2. We need to stop working on our talking and work on our listineing
C. Illustration – Zack telling him not to do something and then doing what you told him not to.
III. Feel (26-27)
A. Explanation
1. The word for relelgion that is used here is the one that refers to relgion as worship.
2. What James is trying to get acrossed here is the finest ritual and finest liturgy is service to the poor and personal purity.
3. This idea of serving the poor is not some new Idea, this was mentioned in the Psalm 68:5, Zech. 7:6-10, and Micah 6:6-8.
B. Application
1. This is not to say that we should not do our best in worship
2. However; not having feeling for the poor removes the possiblity of honest worship
3. We also need to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world
C. Illustration
1. I don’t know how many Churches that have had “good” religion, yet failed. The Churches that care more about the service the service.
Conclusion
A. Look, Listen and Feel – How appropiate
B. This is not your external CPR
C. This is your internal CPR
D. It will save more then your life, it will save your sould
E. I know that we have all heard this before, but as we said; listing without doing is pointless
F. Take time to Look Listen and Feel
