Be Doers of the Word

James 1:22-25

Introduction

- James addresses the very crux of Christian living in 22-25 . . . the difference between hearing and doing God’s Word.

- There are people who know the Bible a lot better than any of us but who don’t do what it says in their lives.

- Acquaintances—seminary graduates, lives in shambles because of adultery (George).

- Others have allowed the love of money and the good life to detour them.

- They know the truth, but don’t do it. How do they know the truth? It’s in the Bible (Read 1 John 2:16).

- It doesn’t happen just on the personal level. There are some trends in what is being called the “emerging church” that relate to knowing versus doing, too.

- Jay Bakker is a youth pastor and the son of Jim and Tammy Bakker. He told Larry King that “God told me” homosexuality is no longer a sin, because times have changed.

- Mantras (chanting or repetitions of a single word or phrase as prayer) as a way becoming one with God (contrary to Matthew 6:7).

- There is something called a “new missiology” in the emerging church that promotes throwing out the term “Christian” altogether. One leading author, Brian McLaren, whom Time magazine called one of the 25 most influential evangelical leaders in America, writes, “I don't

1 believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts.”

- This is not just a recent phenomenon.

- Remember from our series on church history last year . . . the main reasons for the protestant reformation involved the church itself . . . the fact that the pope, the bishops, and the priests, who knew the word, did not live or teach the word and did not expect it of church members.

- The reformation was a movement to return to just what James advises us in today’s passage: be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

- Let’s examine what James says regarding hearing and doing.

1. Hearing God’s word without doing leads to self-deception.

A. Do not merely listen to the word.

1) Note that James does not devalue hearing. Hearing the Word is important. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

2) James does make the point, however, that hearing alone is not enough.

3) Hearing must be accompanied by action.

4) Remember the context of the book of James. It is the earliest writing of the N.T., about 45 a.d. James is giving practical instruction, not complicated doctrine.

B. Mere hearing, he says, leads to self-deception.

2 1) Looking into God’s Word reveals our true condition like a mirror shows our true physical appearance.

a. Studying the principles of the word of God shows where things are right as well as where things are out of order, just like a mirror shows us messy hair, a 5 o’clock shadow, or a smudge on our nose.

b. A mirror does not distort, but gives us an accurate reflection . . . it shows us what we look like for real, not what we might think we look like.

c. A literal translation of v. 24— “he beheld himself and went his way, and immediately forgot what he was.”

d. The Holy Spirit is telling us that if we study and know the word of God and then walk away, ignore what we see in ourselves, and do not take steps to conform our thoughts and actions to the revealed will of God, then we are self-deceived.

3) The Bible is not just about knowledge and revelation, but it is also about accountability.

C. People can see the truths of the Bible in a number of ways:

1) Some see the Bible as relative truth— “it may be true for you but it’s not true for me” or, like Jay Bakker, “times have changed and that’s no longer applicable.”

2) Some are superstitious about the Bible—something magical in having a Bible around; sort of a good luck charm for automatic blessing; open to a random page and God will give us something applicable.

3) There are also what I would call theoretical hearers—a lot of knowledge, read for information, but may lack in personal godliness. A lot of the people we call “theologians” are in this category.

3 4) We can probably think of other categories. The point the Holy Spirit is making in this passage from James is that people who have the word but who neglect doing what Scripture says are self-deceived.

a. The term “deceiving yourselves” in v.22 has the idea of false or corrupt reasoning.

b. False or corrupt thinking is what we might call “rationalizing” today.

- The priest and the Levite in the parable of the good Samaritan were religious leaders—people who knew the word! —but were comfortable in not showing mercy to the injured traveler. They probably rationalized somehow that not stopping was the right thing to do, even though they knew God calls on His people to show mercy.

2. Hearing and doing God’s word leads to blessedness (happiness). James now contrasts the doer with the hearer. He describes the doer of the word in four important phrases.

A. The doer looks intently into the word

1) The term James uses in v.25 pictures a person who stoops down to examine something—the serious observation intent on understanding the thing observed.

2) God’s intent is for us to develop deep understanding of Him through His word.

a. That does not mean we have to know Hebrew and Greek and all the history of the Bible.

b. Whatever language the Bible has been translated into, it clearly conveys Who God is, what He has done for us, and how we should respond.

4 3) Note James’ description of the Word of God. It is the perfect law that gives freedom. The Word of God is liberating.

4) Application: With the constant help of the Holy Spirit, we should read our Bible, study, ask questions, and most of all, respond by letting its truths guide the way we think and live.

B. The doer is a lifelong learner of the word

1) See how James is not content just to tell us to closely examine and understand the word, but to continue to look intently.

2) Knowing God and His will is a lifelong learning process.

C. The doer does not forget what he or she learns

1) Unlike the person who looks into the mirror and promptly forgets what he or she saw, the doer does not forget what the word reveals about himself or herself.

2) The doer lets the word of God change him or her.

D. The doer does what the word says

1) In the last part of v.25, he gives us the definition of the doer: a doer does the work.

2) That is, he or she hears the word and puts it into practice.

Conclusion

- Remember James was writing to a very young church. None of the N.T. had been written yet. Christians met to hear teachings from an apostle or teachers sent by the apostles.

5 - Most of what the book of James teaches is pretty basic. Christianity 101. It focuses on the foundations of our faith and gives us a host of practical advice—persevering in suffering, resisting temptations, loving one another, wisdom, avoiding worldly indulgence, prayer, and practical faith.

- Most of the book can be directly related to specific teachings of Jesus. In many cases, James elaborates and gives specific applications.

- We might ask where James got the idea of emphasizing hearing and doing? Why is he so insistent on putting the word of God into practice? This a direct reflection of the teaching of Jesus at the end of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 7:24-27

- In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus concluded his sermon on the mount with a story (read). The foundation of a godly and blessed life is not just hearing God’s word. It is doing God’s Word.

- When we look into the mirror of God’s word, what do we see?

1. We see that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

2. We see that by believing in Jesus Christ, we can be His forever and walk in newness of life.

3. And as we constantly dig deeper, we see our flaws. We see that we are sinners. We see how the world affects us. And we see where we can change.

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