ARE YOU PLAYING BY EAR OR BY THE BOOK
James 1:22-25
22 But be ye doers of the word , and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word , and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
By ear;
Dave Roever plays piano by ear (literally)
What would you think, if the pilot of the plane that you were flying in, came over the intercom and said I am going to land this plane today a little different than what the instruction manual says. I¡¦ve picked out a runway that I think would better suit us and don¡¦t worry we will be on the ground shortly?
I¡¦m sure you would tell him that he¡¦s going to land that plane by the book.
Or,
You are scheduled for brain surgery and your doctor stands at your bedside and tells you that he is going to do this surgery a little different than how it¡¦s normally done, but not to worry, I¡¦m sure everything will come out alright.
I¡¦m sure you would tell him that he is going to go by the book or he¡¦s not going to perform the surgery.
How many of you have heard of the Van Clyburn piano competition? All the contestants can play their pieces beautifully, but that is not what the judges are listening for. Every note must be in it’s proper place or its wrong.
Now I am a C,F&G piano and guitar player, but if you listen to real piano players, such as Sis Hill, you will hear all of the cord changes that is supposed to be in the music because that is how it is written in the book.
In my opinion, playing it by ear is enough to get me by, but I am wrong according to the music experts.
What if we were to have that attitude about serving God?
Matt 23:23
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees (religious people), hypocrites! (play actors) for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone
(You think that you are doing just enough to keep God¡¦s approval, only to be very disappointed when you stand before Him on judgment day)
They just didn¡¦t do it by the book.
You remember that when you first were saved, and for a time after that, how everything that you did was Bible based. But sadly, what happens too often is, that as you grow more familiar with the Christian experience, it doesn¡¦t take quite as much prayer or Bible study to keep you on the straight and narrow. The problem is, is that the straight and narrows¡¦ not so straight and narrow any more.
The world¡¦s secularism and your emotions begin to form your opinions and you loose touch with the real truth (which is, ¡¨thus saith the Lord¡¨) and you wind up play religion by ear.
Are you playing by the ear, or by the Book?
Are you really into a relationship with God?
Because if you are, then that tells me that you faithfully communicate with Him in prayer and Word study and your life is an open book to everyone around you.
I know several people who may have had this kind of relationship with Christ at one time, but now they are just living for Him by ear and not by the Book.
I am Sis Nabor¡¦s ginnepig. She finds new recipes and I get to one of the first to try them out. (Lucky me)
But imagine her just looking at the picture of what ever she¡¦s going to bake and then rattling the pots and pans. That would be ridiculous. It would never produce the results that the book would called for.
Sunday school and preaching gives us a great picture of what God wants to do in our lives, but just rattling the pots and pans and never getting into the Book and discovering God¡¦s perfect will for our lives will never do it.
¡§these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone¡¨
Acts 19:13-16
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva , a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
If they would have, went by the Book, they would have accomplished their mission.
Do you ever wonder why you do not possess power in your life? (Victory over sins) Maybe you are playing this thing by ear instead of by the Book. The Book offers formulas to achieve all our victories.
When you play by ear:
„h 2 Tim 3:5
5 Having a form of godliness, (hypocrisy)
„h Eph 4:14
(It¡¦s easy to be) carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,
„h You are trying to take the short cut. (There are no short cuts to a relationship with God. There are no short cuts to receiving the blessings of God. If you want salvation, deliverance, healing, etc. you have to go by the Book.)
Does your relationship with God only consist of church attendance, and tithe paying? If so, you are trying to bribe your way into heaven and it will never work.
Prov 14:12
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When you play by ear and not by the Book, your way may seem right but your righteousness will be as filthy rags.
Living solely by what you conceive as truth and not what comes directly from the Book is committing spiritual suicide.
John 12:48
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
The hypocrites lived what they conceived as truth (they judged themselves as being holy) and all the time rejecting Jesus, and His words, which is the Book.
If you are playing by the Book:
Do you trust and obey?
Do you hear and obey?
President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely!" or "Just continue with your great work!" Nobody listened to what he was saying, except one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I’m sure she had it coming to her."
John 8:43
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Iniquity is lawlessness and lawlessness is the by-product of rebellion and rebellion is refusing to play by the Book.
These people were playing it by ear and lost their souls.
They were trying to get to heave their own way.
John 10:1
10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber .
"Grainger bible," Employee manual, work by it or loose your job.
Ps 119:105
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
2 Tim 3:16
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness : You will allow it to
John 14:6
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If this Book is going to judge us one day, then we had better live by it.
Rev 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
The kind of life that you are living, if not by the book, is either adding to or taking away from what God’s perfect will for your life is.
Be very careful and live exactly by the book.
