Doers of the Word

I think everyone here would say that they believe the Bible is God’s Word, but what is your attitude toward it? How important is it to you? Do you view the Bible as something to be read? As something to be obeyed? Why are you here at church today? Is it because you want to hear the Lord speak to you? What do you plan on doing once He does? That’s the idea James tackles in this portion of Scripture. You may answer in the affirmative to all the questions I just posed, but just saying so isn’t enough. We’ve got to prove it and back it up with the way we live. Even being at church and hearing the Bible preached by itself isn’t enough. It’s good that you’re here because hearing is the first step. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” after all, but it’s not the only step. Let’s see what the Bible has to say today.

[Read James 1:21-25]

James is a practical book written by a practical man. He believed in showing more than telling. In perhaps the most famous portion of this book in chapter 2, James says, “Don’t just tell me you have faith. Show it to me.” He’s saying much the same thing here in this passage. “Don’t just listen to God’s Word. Obey it.” So listen to what I have to say tonight, not because I’m saying it, but because I’m conveying the truth of the Bible to you, but don’t stop there. Listen with the intention of obeying what you hear. Ask the Lord to point things out to you that you need to obey, and He will.

When God called Samuel, his response was, “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” That word “heareth” in the Hebrew means “Listening with a view to obeying.” In other words, Samuel had already committed to obeying whatever the Lord told him to do before He had even said anything to him. That’s the attitude God wants us to have toward the Bible. Will you do that today?

I believe James presents to us three right responses to God’s Word, and they go in order.

I. Receive God’s Word (1:21) – This is where it has to start for anyone. In verse 21, he says, “…receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” That word “engrafted” also has the idea of “implanted.” It reminds me of the parable of the sower that we studied in Sunday School a month or so ago. There were four types of soil that represented four kinds of hearts. The first type utterly rejected God’s Word altogether. With the second and the third types, the seed broke the soil, but they never let it take root and bear fruit. Other things in the soil crowded it and choked it out. It was only the good ground that received the seed and bore fruit. I believe both the parable and this passage here are referring primarily to receiving God’s Word for salvation, but even after we’re saved, we don’t always allow His Word to have its proper place in our lives. What is distracting you and preventing you from trusting and obeying the Lord the way that you should?

In order to receive God’s Word properly, we have to remove some things. James says we need to lay these things apart as we receive the Word. Repentance and faith go hand in hand. In Acts 20:21, Paul summed up the core of his message as “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” As we are turning to God, we are simultaneously turning away from sin. In I Thessalonians 1:9, Paul said that they turned to God from idols.

Here, James mentions two things that we need to lay apart in order to be saved. The first is “filthiness,” which refers to general immorality and impurity. Sin makes us filthy before God, and the blood of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can make us clean. He will do just that if we’ll come to Him and confess our sins, as I John 1:9 tells us. The second is “superfluity of naughtiness,” which is an unusual phrase, to say the least. It’s not something you’ll hear someone drop into casual conversation. What does it mean? “Superfluity” means an overabundance or a surplus of something. “Naughtiness” here specifically refers to malice, spite, and ill intent toward others.

As I was studying what these words meant, I discovered that the Greek word for “superfluity” was also what they would use to describe excess buildup of ear wax. That’s something I can relate to on a personal level [Tell story of having to get ears flushed out because of wax buildup]. The point is that sin stops up our ears and prevents us from hearing God speaking to us clearly. Sometimes we wonder why we can’t hear Him speaking to us as if it’s His fault when our ears aren’t open. If we really want to know what God’s Word says and what it means for us, then we’re going to have to clean out our ears. What is getting in the way of your relationship with Jesus Christ?

James also says we have to receive the word with meekness. We have to lay aside any notion of earning righteousness through our own effort. We must humble ourselves before God and admit that we can’t save ourselves. Only Jesus Christ can save us. Pride is one of the biggest reasons people don’t get saved. They can’t bring themselves to admit that they need the Lord for one reason or another. Perhaps they’ve made a profession of faith early in life or perhaps they’ve got a good reputation in the church, so they’re afraid of what others will think if they come forward and confess that they’re lost, contrary to what others have been led to believe.

Maybe you’re here today and that’s you. There are good people who’ve been going to good churches for a long time, and they’ve struggled with doubt over their salvation, but they can’t bring themselves to confront it or come forward publicly about it. Let me tell you that your pride and the opinions of others aren’t worth going to hell over, and the church will rejoice with you for getting genuinely saved or for getting assurance of your salvation. You don’t have to worry or be afraid about that.

II. Obey God’s Word (1:22-24) – I think this part is the key to the entire passage. James tells his audience to be doers of the word and not hearers only, and he warns them not to deceive themselves. In other words, “Don’t trick yourself into believing that simply listening alone is enough. There’s more to it than that.” That word “deceive” can also mean “cheat,” so he’s also saying not to cheat yourselves by thinking hearing alone is sufficient.

Cheat yourselves out of what? Look at the end of verse 25: “…He being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James is essentially telling us not to cheat ourselves out of God’s blessing. Obedience is the key that opens the door to His blessings in our lives. Your life will just be better if you obey God, as well as scriptural authority by extension.

I sometimes try to get this lesson across to kids, usually unsuccessfully: The sooner you learn to obey your parents and those in authority over you right away, the better off you’ll be. Your relationship with your parents will be better. You won’t have to worry about getting into trouble so much. You have so much more freedom and you’ll have so much more fun than you ever will in your perceived sense of freedom and fun when you rebel. That lesson is true for adults, too, when it comes to God-given authority, which ultimately derives from the Bible.

Jesus issues a similar warning at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. Turn with me there, and let’s look at verses 24-27. Both of them heard. The difference was that only one of them was both a hearer and a doer. The Sermon on the Mount is considered by many to be the greatest message ever preached, but even then, Jesus is saying, “Just hearing it isn’t enough.” You could be sitting in church and listen to the greatest sermon you’ve ever heard in your life (which probably isn’t going to happen right now), but it isn’t going to do you any good unless you put what you hear into practice.

Then James drives the point home by making an illustration about a man looking in a mirror. The Greek word here is literally “male.” Oftentimes in Scripture, “man” can refer to mankind in general, but it’s referring specifically to men here. After all, looking into a mirror and failing to correct what you see is definitely male behavior. It’s not something you’ll see a woman do. Women tend to be meticulous and take their time in front of the mirror. Men will take a quick glance, say “Eh, good enough,” and be on their way. I’m sure my mom can attest that there were probably many times I nearly left the house with my hair sticking up everywhere, and she had to send me back into the bathroom to fix it. It happened this morning, in fact! I’m kidding, I’m kidding…or am I?

Even worse, some will look into the mirror merely to admire themselves with no intention to fix anything. They ignore their flaws and revel in their perceived strengths. We shouldn’t be spiritual narcissists, but we can get that way when we only hear without the intention of doing. We can get a false sense of ourselves when we think we’re doing good enough, or at least we’re doing better than someone else is. Critical self-examination is often unpleasant, which is why a lot of people don’t want to do it.

The point that James is trying to make here is that God’s Word is like a mirror. It’s going to point out some flaws, and you can either choose to fix them or just let them be. Just as it would be foolish for me to look in a mirror and see that my hair is sticking up, I missed a spot shaving, and I’ve got food stuck in my teeth, but I make no effort to fix it, it would be even more foolish for us to look into the mirror of the Bible as it points out our sins and shortcomings and say, “Eh, good enough. I’m fine.”

Personally, I always feel awkward when I notice that someone has food in their teeth or something hanging out of their nose, and while I know I should say something to them, I’m usually a little hesitant to do so, especially if I don’t know them that well. If I could just stick a mirror in front of their face, that would be a lot easier. That’s the beauty of preaching the Word of God. I can just hold up the mirror of the Bible in front of you and let it do the work. I don’t have to be afraid of pointing something out because I’ve got God’s Word to back me up on it.

There’s actually another place in the New Testament that uses a mirror as an illustration. Turn with me to II Corinthians 3, and let’s look at verse 18. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This is the effect a mirror should have on us. After we’ve looked into the mirror, there should be change. That word “change” is the same Greek word where we get the word “metamorphosis” from. Give a woman enough time in front of a mirror, and there will be a transformation. Men, not so much, but the Bible should change our attitudes and our actions. Don’t be content with just coming to church and hearing a sermon. Determine to let God’s Word change you.

III. Continue in the Word (1:25) – Being a doer of the Word isn’t just something we do one time or for a little while. It should be a regular practice. Many Christians struggle with being consistent in their spiritual lives. They’re in and out, up and down. The Christian life shouldn’t be a roller coaster where you’re flip-flopping back and forth between highs and lows. It should be more like a steady rise.

You can still be growing in strength spiritually even when you’re at a very low moment physically or emotionally. The Apostle Paul talks about this in II Corinthians 12 when he was suffering from his thorn in the flesh. He prayed for the Lord to get rid of it three times to no avail, but He assured Paul that, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” That was enough for Paul because he goes on to say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” That is an amazing statement of faith. I’m not there yet. I can’t say that I delight in my difficulties because it means I’ll experience God’s sufficient and strengthening grace.

Our goal as Christians should be consistent spiritual growth, and that will only happen if we continue in God’s Word, not just in hearing and reading it, but in obeying it. The Lord promises to bless us if we do. That word “looketh” in verse 25 speaks of a penetrating stare, not just a passing glance. We need to spend time daily looking into God’s Word and responding to what we find.

So what stage are you on? Have you received God’s Word for salvation? If you haven’t, don’t put that off. Paul said that today is the day of salvation. Are you still only listening? I pray you’ll recognize that’s not good enough, and you’ll decide to move beyond that. Maybe you want to be a doer of the word and you’re trying to, but you’re struggling with consistency. Pray and seek after God’s sufficient grace. Maybe you used to be a doer, but you aren’t being one right now. I hope you’ll change your mind about that.

Charles Spurgeon used to say that the sermon doesn’t begin until the application begins, and I feel that’s particularly appropriate for today’s message. If you’ve decided that you want to be someone who continues in God’s Word, don’t wait. We’re going to have an invitation in just a second, and during that time, you can either come to the altar or pray at your seat, but commit to obeying His Word and ask Him to help you.