The Epistle of James: Chapter 1

And then secondly, uh he has chosen for us to examine the book of James. There's five chapters. So over the next five weeks, we're going to take a chapter for each Wednesday. And he asked me to kick this off uh with James chapter 1. And so with the Lord's help, we're going to do that. I did want to take a quick moment and just uh explain in case uh if I'm looking a little disoriented up here. Uh, I had some eye surgery back in the summer and I've got one eye that's nearsided with a cataract and I have one eye that's farsighted without a cataract.

And so I have to kind of choose which uh eye I'm going to look through. And uh I've been doing the the nearsighted one, but it's much dimmer. So I'm going to give a shot at the far-sighted eye with reading glasses tonight. I probably have to close one eye to check my notes and look up at you, but I don't know. you are looking kind of blurry and out there now. So, uh, we'll see how this goes. But that's just a little explanation so you don't have to worry about me, okay, if I look like I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing.

Of course, some of you think that's all he ever looks like. I know. I know. Well, that reminds me on on the hero thing. I forgot to mention I I have a friend that uh texted me, if you don't mind me doing this, do um what was it? I forgot his name. So, he said uh where is Robert? Robert. Robert. Robert. I told you I can't see. Uh man, I won't I should have had that pulled up. Anyway, on hero day, he he texted something to the effect he said, "Nathan, you're my hero, but I just don't feel like talking right now." So, those are the kind of friends I have.

But let's uh launch into this. I am going to look at the chapter, first chapter of James from the New International Version. I don't know what you have before you uh but I think u by my having it on the screen and reading it whatever version you have in front of you I think you'll be able to uh follow along and compare. And so let's get started with James chapter 1 and verse one. It says that James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ to the 12 tribes scattered among the nations greetings.

So, here he is opening his letter. And uh this writer, just so you know, is not James the brother of John, the two that you often read about in the Gospels, sons of thunder they were called. Nor is he James, the son of Alphus, one of the 12 disciples that Jesus chose. But this is James, the halfb brotherther of Jesus. And you'll read about them in Matthew's gospel and Mark's gospel. He had I think there was a total of four of them that Mary and Joseph had after the miraculous birth of Jesus.

And this is James, one of those four brothers. And uh in the book of Acts, James does emerge as a leader of the church in Jerusalem. He occupied a rather prominent, if not the chief place in the church of Jerusalem. And he was in Acts 15, if you remember reading that, uh he was the president of the council when they had that big discussion about Gentiles and what they needed to do uh in terms of following the law or not. So this is that James writing a letter.

And uh the date uh from what I've been able to read, there's no proof in favor of any certain date. I read as early as 48 AD and as late as 63 AD uh when he was martyed. So somewhere in that range. And he writes from we think Jerusalem to an audience as he says here the 12 tribes uh which is a reference to Israel as a nation scattered and these were Jewish Christians. You might recall in Acts 8 uh many were scattered because of persecution and the Jews that had left the the mother church there in Jerusalem and went into other areas of the world.

He was writing to these 12 tribes scattered among the nations as uh their leader and the content. Now you may get additional or alternative input from other teachers that follow me in the coming weeks. Uh but for now let me just say in my view this epistle or letter is very practical. It doesn't um get into a lot of deep theological discussion but it has more to do with our outward life and really shows us how to live externally the internal truths and principles of Christianity.

So it's a very practical book. In fact, some have said it's very much like the sermon on the mount which we just uh covered in detail over the summer. And so there's a lot of similarity to that. So this is the writer uh roughly when and to whom and the content of the book in general terms. So James chapter 1:es 2-4 read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." We are not promised, of course, a problemfree life when we choose to devote our lives to Jesus Christ. Uh it'd be nice, wouldn't it? But uh the truth is problems and you can put anything in that category you wish, but problems are inevitable. They're going to come along. Uh a lot of times they're unpredictable. Uh you don't really know when they're coming, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Problems come even to Christians.

I guess it's a naive point of view to think that once you're saved, you never again have a difficulty in life. And if you've had that, I hate to burst your bubble, but you're going to have some problems uh just because of life. And Jesus himself said in John 16:33, "In the world, you will have tribulation." Thanks a lot, Jesus. Uh and that word literally from the Greek, as I understand it, uh means a pressing or a pressure. And the reason that we might have tribulation or pressure could well be because of our choice to live for God.

Uh we're making that choice and it's not what the world does or wants to do. And so we may feel pressure of tribulation because of that or it could just be a natural part of living that we face problems and difficulties. And James here uh in this these verses I've read he says to count trials or problems as a joy. Anybody do that on a regular basis? I have an entire lesson that I teach called Hallelujah. I'm going through a trial and it's it's very counterintuitive to count it as a joy.

And I personally don't think, now if you think this, and I'm not going to argue with you or or say one of us is right and one is wrong, but I personally don't think that every problem that comes along in life constitutes a test. Maybe it does, and maybe I'm missing a lot of homework lessons. I don't know. But uh sometimes you just have a flat tire because you let the tires go bald, right? I mean, I don't know that God's trying to tell you anything.

But I will say this that problems can have value in our lives. And when we do uh have them go through trials, it doesn't hurt to ask, "Is there a lesson to learn? Is there something God's trying to teach me or some benefit that I can gain from this?" Because problems can try your faith. Everyone said, "Amen." Uh problems build patience. They develop character. That is if we are positive under that pressure or tribulation and or face them with the right attitude, we can learn a lesson in certain instances.

And that's a mark of maturity. We go through a trial. We go through a difficulty and we let it teach us some things and we grow because of that. And it helps the maturation prog process in our lives. And James jumping down to verse 12 says this, "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." So there is a a reward for persevering, going through trials, counting them as a joy, and learning what you can learn through them.

And even if there isn't a lesson per se to be learned, just just handling problems in life with um a bit of maturity is a good thing and it helps us to build and grow even in our personality and temperament and that. But on the spiritual side, there's certainly a blessing here as verse 12 says. And then uh reverting back to verse five. Let me read these verses the next little chunk here. 5-8 of James 1 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you.

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. You gotta admire James for being to the point here. And uh I haven't really over the years read those verses in the context of trials, but I guess I've thought of it more in a generality about wisdom in life and uh just things that we need to ask God for.

But clearly, you can't deny this is in the context of us facing trials or or problems. And so I wanted to look at it from that standpoint. And trials, I think we can agree, do bring a season in our lives when we start seeking wisdom from God. When everything's falling apart, you're if nothing else, you're asking why, right? Trying to understand what's going on. And because we need wisdom in times of trial and and maybe more so than knowledge. Someone has said that knowledge is just raw information, but wisdom is how to apply that or to use that knowledge.

If we're going to receive wisdom, James says in these verses, we simply ask of God. If you need wisdom, ask of God. And it says he'll give liberally or generously. He'll give without reproach. That is without despising your request. If you need some wisdom, God's ready and willing to give it to you. in knowing God's generosity that he never despises us or resents us for asking. That should encourage us to ask him often for wisdom in the given situations of life. And then he says that our request for wisdom must be made like any other request, the ones we made earlier in this service.

It has to be in faith, right? If we're going to ask of God, we have to ask believing, expecting. He says we ask for wisdom in faith without doubting God's ability or desire to give us the wisdom. So the one who doubts and this is where James is a little pointed. He says the one who doubts and lacks faith should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. And I can see the logic of that. And in this context of wisdom, we could say, well, if you're asking for wisdom, but really have this nagging doubt that God's going to come through for you.

Well, it's saying here you're not to expect to receive anything from the Lord. And then he illustrates a little bit and says that this lack of faith or trust in God shows that we have no foundation. He says we're unstable in all of our ways. And uh this is one commentator said this is Adam Clark. He's from a bygone era, but I thought it worth noting. And he said, "The man who is not thoroughly persuaded that if he asks of God, he shall receive, resembles a wave of the sea, he is in a state of continual agitation, driven by the wind and tossed, now rising by hope, now sinking by despair." And so to ask God in a doubting way, James says, shows that we're double-minded or unstable.

And so clearly the answer is for us to be faithful and to come before God asking wisdom or any other request and just have that confidence that he's listening and that he's going to come through. That's what James says. And then verse 9 uh through 11, let's read that passage. Uh believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position, but the rich should take pride in their humiliation since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant, its blossom fails and its beauty is destroyed.

In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Now again these verses I guess I've taken in a little broader application and I'm not denying that we can't can can't do that but again if we look at it in view of trials it's saying that as much as it is appropriate for the lowly to rejoice when God lifts them up then it's appropriate even though kind of difficult it's appropriate for the rich or the high to rejoice when they're brought to humiliation by trials.

And why is that? Well, trials serve to remind us as rich folks or people that are uh blessed that though they are comfortable in this life, you got to remember it's still only this life. You may feel like you've got a lot of blessings, but it's only this life and that's going to fade. James says as the grass or as the flower fades away. Now, you may think, well, these verses have nothing to do with me because I'm certainly not rich. But let me remind all of us that rich is a relative term.

And perhaps so here in the good old US of A, none of us are just filthy rich. But uh you compare yourself to someone in a third world country, you're doing pretty good. I I'd say you're rich by their standards. And so there is something based on that that we can learn. Whatever your level of blessing, the riches of this world, we need to remember they're going to fade away. And he says also that the rich person will also fade away. So if we put our life and our identity in things that fade away, then we're going to fade away also.

How much better it is to put our life and our identity in things that don't fade. And I came across this quote in a website called the Enduring Word Bible Commentary and I really liked it. It says this, "If a man is only rich in this world, when he dies, he leaves his riches. But if a man is rich before God, when he dies, he goes to his riches. And I think we can readily see the wisdom in that. And so when trials come, uh we may be in that category of being blessed and brought to humiliation, uh there can be benefit in that as well.

And then James uh chapter 1 13- 16, let me read these for you. It says, 'When tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is fullgrown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. So here in verse 13, James is switching gears and he's addressing uh mankind's oldest problem, temptation.

And I also have a a lesson I've taught years ago. Oddly enough, Sister Hazes Wilson really enjoyed that. I remember her telling me uh about temptation and the yucka plant. It's just not going away. Yucka plant, if you ever had one, you can uh try to burn that thing to the ground. It's going to come back eventually. Uh and it's same way with temptation. uh we're all going to face it. And James being the practical apostle he is uh gives us some principles here in the following verses uh that we can note about temptation.

And one in verse 14 is that we need to be realistic about the fact that we're going to be tempted. Don't think that you're above it. Uh don't think that you're so uh holy and good that you'll never face temptation because you will. Notice in verse 14 it says when tempted. Not if, but when tempted. Everybody's tempted and and Christians I would say especially so because we're making a conscious effort to live above sin. And when you make that conscious effort then uh there is the temptation that uh more real at least or more uh in our face if you if I could put it that way.

I remember uh one person it's been few years ago now. um he had been attending church uh here for quite some time and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. And that very next week, he stopped by my office and uh was telling me before church went out. He said, "Man, I I just don't get it. I received the Holy Ghost just in the last week or so and I'm struggling more than I ever have. I didn't have these kind of problems before I got the Holy Ghost." Well, obviously he had switched sides, right?

And so he was now attempting to live for God and he was coming against temptations and and problems and difficulties because of his choice or because of his being born of the spirit. And so we can't live in a world free from temptation simply because as Christians we're in a hostile environment called the world. The world wants nothing to do with righteousness or holiness. And that's the environment that we're in. And so it's a hostile one. And we also, let's not forget, we do have an adversary called the devil.

And we have our carnal desires that aren't eradicated even though we're born of water and born of spirit. And so, we can't live in a world free of temptation. We are going to face it. And we just need to be realistic about that. Now granted, I will say that the type of temptation and the frequency of temptation may vary over the years, but you never outgrow the possibility of being tempted no matter how long you've been serving God. And we need to be realistic about that.

I I would say this, and and this is just an example in my mind. I'm thinking that those of us that have lived for God 20, 30, 40 years, I don't know that any of us are going to be tempted to uh substance abuse, alcohol, drugs, or anything wild and crazy. Uh but we might be tempted to be dishonest or unethical, or we might be tempted to harbor bitterness in our spirits about some situation by which we think we were wrong. There could be resentment that builds up.

So it may not be the overt sins that you know you you hear about in in some testimonies when people first come into church but over the years you still can battle uh sin or temptation I should say uh in your life and here's an important point for us to remember even though we are going to be tempted it's not a sin to be tempted okay not a sin to be tempted it's a sin to give in to temptation there's the distinction I struggle with this in my youth and one night at a prayer meeting we used to have prayer meeting back then we had midweek service on Tuesdays and Thursdays you folks thought you had it bad coming once a week uh Tuesdays and Thursdays and on Wednesday night we had a prayer meeting for the young people from I think it was 7 to 8 and uh one night after uh a prayer session or prayer season uh the youth pastor Ed Goddard sat us down and we just did a little talking and uh I was really struggling uh with this whole business of tempt ation because I had just gotten into the church and frankly there were thoughts still popping in my mind.

Oh, that's not of God, you know, and it was really scaring me and and bothering me. And it was then uh in that session that Goddard quoted Martin Luther when he said we cannot keep the birds from flying over us, but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair. And so the the idea is that yeah, thought could come, but I don't have to dwell on it or or maintain it in my thinking. I I thought to give a practical example, I could be walking by, I don't know, a restaurant table or a counter or somebody's desk in an office area and see 50 bucks lying there and the thought could go through my mind.

You know, I could quickly grab that and nobody would see and I'd have 50 bucks in my pocket. Uh that's a thought, but just having that thought doesn't mean I've sinned. It's if I uh go ahead and take the money, that's when I've sinned. Or if I go away and and think about it, you know, the more I think about that, I have a $50 bill coming up. I think this is the Lord providing for me. I'm going to go back and get that. You know, you can rationalize anything.

You know, if I dwell on it and think about it and eventually go back and and take that, that's when I've sinned. But just to have the thought go through my mind, you know, there's 50 bucks. Grab it. Nobody will know. Well, that's that's a temptation. But I'm going to walk away from that and oh no, it's not mine. That belongs to somebody else. And no way am I going to uh do wrong and steal. And so, uh, there's I hope makes a distinction for you that to be tempted is not a sin, but it's when we give in to it.

And so, we just need to be realistic that we're going to be tempted and we need to understand that. And then, uh, verse 13 also says when tempted, no one should say, God is tempting me. And here we have the idea of responsibility. It says God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. And ever since the Garden of Eden, uh, we are what I would call expert fingerpointers. If you remember back in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve had eaten of the fruit that God told them not to eat, it was then that God confronted Adam and immediately he said, "It wasn't me.

It was the woman you gave me. She gave me the fruit and I ate it." And so God turned to Eve and and spoke to her. And in that questioning, she quickly shifted blame and said, "Well, it wasn't me or the serpent. The serpent tricked me and that's why I ate of it and it just seems like we've been expert fingerp pointers ever since not wanting to take responsibility. Will Rogers said this. You could summarize American history into two great movements. The passing of the buffalo and the passing of the buck.

And we are seemingly in a society of irresponsibility, aren't we? We want to blame society, blame the government, blame the environment, blame heredity, blame our parents, blame our spouse, blame the devil, and even blame God sometimes. But when we give into temptation, uh, don't blame God for your bad choice. He's not tempting you to sin. It says clearly here, God does not tempt to sin. And so, if there's a temptation that you give into it, don't blame that on God, but be responsible and recognize, yeah, I made that choice.

and repentance is called for. And then we we do need to be ready in our spirits regarding temptation. It was realistically we're going to face it. And so being ready is important. And it doesn't always warn us in advance, does it? Temptation. A lot of times it catches you by surprise. And you've got to be ready and on your guard. Here's what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12. Uh wherefore let him that thinkketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Jesus said in the gospels, "Watch and pray that you enter not in temptation." And so, we need to be ready and prepared so we won't go astray or wander or be deceived uh in that temptation.

And uh temptation here here's something for us to uh realize or help helps us to realize it that temptation is a process seldom a one-time act. In these next few verses here, 14 and 15, uh James tells us a little bit how it works. He says verse 14, "Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed." So the first step in temptation is desire. And uh we all have them. In fact, there are many God-given desires that aren't bad in and of themselves.

But Satan loves to take routine desires and turn them into runaway desires or desires that get out of control. Uh look back again in the Garden of Eden when Satan brought Eve to the tree that was forbidden to them. It says when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise. So he brought her right in front of that tree and had a little object lesson and it it appealed to her desire.

And often temptation is the desire to fulfill a legitimate desire but in the wrong way and at the wrong time. So maybe the desire in of itself isn't so bad, but if we fulfill it in a wrong way at the wrong time, uh that's when we are led into sin. And the second part of of this process is deception. Uh you'll notice again in verse 14, it says uh each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. And here uh James is using a couple of terms from the sports world from what I read.

Uh, dragged away is a hunter's term that literally means snared in a trap. And enticed is a fisherman's term that means lured by bait. And so those are are clear examples of how temptation works. Uh, I'm not much of a fisherman, but they tell me the secret is in the bait. Well, you need the right kind of bait for the right kind of fish. And uh, our enemy, this world has the right kind of bait many times to tempt us into doing wrong. And that's what Satan did.

He tricked Eve by saying uh when he was showing her this tree, you're not going to die. It's outright told her that. For God knows that in the day you eat, then your eyes will be open and you'll be as gods, knowing good and evil. And so he baited her with a desire to be wise and to be as a god. And so she was deceived. So temptation always looks better than it is. Uh desire turns to deception. Deception then to disobedience. And that's uh what verse 15 tells us that after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin.

So the battle starts with your thoughts but then after that it moves from your thoughts into actions. And that's what uh Satan again to use this example in the garden of Eden. He subtly appealed to Eve's desire got her thinking about it. You know yeah that's a a tree that that's desirable and who wouldn't want to be as a god and who wouldn't want to have their eyes open to good and evil? And so uh he worked on her, got her thinking about it and then she took of the fruit.

So the thought turned into an action she ate and also gave to Adam and they ate. So that desire led her to deception. Deception to disobedience. And then here's the consequence of it all. Verse 15. And sin when it is fullrown gives birth to death. That's the tragic consequence of giving into temptation. The wages of sin is death. It's spiritual separation from God. And James says, and we know this just as adults, we're free to choose any way we want to live. Especially here in America, nobody's telling us how to live.

Nobody made you come here tonight. Uh nobody made you choose to live for God. You you make that choice. But we can't escape the consequences of choices. We can live any way we want, but we can't escape the consequences of choices. And after Adam and Eve, Eve's disobedience, they did face the consequence of being cast from the garden and separated from God. And uh further, sad to say, it started a chain reaction. Romans says, "Wherefore, as by one man's sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." So we didn't actually eat of that fruit in the garden, but we were affected by their choice and the consequence of it.

And verse 16 simply is an appeal. It says, "Don't be deceived, my brothers and sisters. Don't be deceived." Knowing how temptation works, being mindful of its consequences, I think will help us overcome and leave that $50 laying on the table, right? Or the counter or the desk, whatever it is. And then James uh 11:17, every good and perfect gift is from above, coming now from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. uh he chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

And uh these verses are basically telling us that uh we expect no true goodness from our fallen natures and uh from those who would entice us. Every good and perfect gift comes from God and God's goodness is constant. No variation in him. He doesn't change. Uh James understood in verse 18 that the gift of salvation was given by God, not earned by our works or obedience of man, but it's of God's own will that he brought us forth for salvation. And here's a quote from Charles Spurgeon.

But of his own will, God did to us all that has been done without any incentive or prompting, moved only by himself because he delighted in mercy. So we can see God's goodness in our salvation as he initiated that by his own will. No one forced him or coerced him in any way, but he brought us forth to spiritual life by the word of his truth that we might be kind of a first fruits. And so those are those two verses. I hurried through them uh with time getting away from me here.

But the last section, I'm going to skip reading all that since it's from verses 19 through 27 uh this last portion, but I will examine them uh verse by verse here if you have them in front of you. Uh and of course this is getting into the section talking about God's word. Uh my brothers and sisters, verse 19 says, uh take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak. And it goes on talking about uh the word of God and not being deceived and letting it come into our lives.

And so let me talk a little bit about the word of God as it in itself. Uh thankfully in America, uh Bibles are everywhere, right? Uh you can find them in motel rooms. I think you still can. uh libraries, uh numerous stores that sell books. There's printed editions available in all sizes, shapes, translations, versions, leatherbound, paperback. Uh they're just everywhere, websites, apps broadcast on media. But, you know, millions of people still miss the blessing of the Bible even though it's so readily available. And and James gives us some steps on how we can be blessed by the Bible.

Verse 25, and I'm going to in these remaining verses 19 through 27, I'm going to hop back and forth a little bit. Uh verse 25 it says, "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do." And so, uh, verse 21, going back to it, it says to receive with meekness. This is the King James. Receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your soul.

That word receive in Greek uh might be translated accept accce to welcome or to invite a guest. If someone comes to your home uh whether they're expected or unexpected, if you are glad to see them, you welcome them in. That's the idea here with God's word. We should receive welcome it into our lives and let it have its effect. And James says, "The way we receive God's word," uh verse 19, "Be swift to hear or quick to listen." That is, give it your full attention. When you're hearing God's word taught, when you're reading it in your personal devotion or whatever the case, listening to a podcast, uh when it's God's word, give it your full attention.

Be alert. Be careful not to miss it. And then it also says in this verse, be slow to speak. And we sometimes I guess uh get ourselves in troubles because we're quick to speak rather than being quick to listen. And so uh be swift to hear. 19b or the rest of that verse says slow to wrath or become angry. And uh think about this. We don't hear very well when we're angry, do we? We we don't catch everything. Uh if we're upset, bitter, resentful, and when you're emotionally uh filled with turmoil, it kind of keeps us from hearing God's word.

But on the opposite side, if you're relaxed and at ease, somebody can communicate with you a lot better. I'm not into crisis management, but I guess that's why law enforcement uh people that I referenced earlier, uh they're taught to deescalate, calm people down, get them to to slow down, sit down, maybe even literally. And so when you relax, you can be communicated with better. And so I just throw this out. uh when you come to church or when you sit down to read your Bible, just think about your emotional state as you're hearing God's word.

Are are you uh ready to to read it with an open mind and and clear heart when you come to church and and God's word is is declared? Is it with an openness, a calmness? Uh verse 20 says, "Human anger doesn't produce the righteousness that God desires." And so, just think about your your outlook and attitude when it comes to receiving God's word. uh we want to do that in a way uh that is careful and that is calm. And then verse 21 says we should get rid of all the moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent.

So before you plant a seed, you usually have to do some weeding and digging and preparing of the soil. And God's saying just just lay aside all the stuff, all the emotional baggage, the old habits, whatever it is, so that God's word can get through to you. And then along with that, verse 21 again says, "Receive with meekness the engrafted word." So having a teachable, yielded, humble. I'm focused on the meekness part there, which means you're not fighting against it, but you're teachable, yielded, humble, willing to be changed, not a know-it-all.

Uh it's tough to teach somebody who knows everything, right? Uh talk to a teenager sometime. I'm kidding. They're down the hall. I hope they didn't hear that. But uh it's difficult to get something across to somebody who knows everything. And so uh receive with meekness, not not with a a spirit of defense or fighting against it. And then along with uh receiving God's word, we have to reflect on it. Uh verse 23 says, "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." Uh we know the purpose of a mirror is to evaluate yourself, right?

Uh you get up in the morning and assess the damage from the night before and figure out what if anything you can do about it. Uh and then you do something about it. But what good is a mirror, you know, if you just look and walk away. You make adjustments based on what you see. At least I hope you're doing that before you go to work tomorrow, right? Uh but a mirror does reflect what we're like on the outside. Well, God's word, you you see the parallel.

It's like a mirror reflecting what we're like on the inside. And uh I don't know in reading the Bible or in hearing it preach, have you ever seen yourself in the Bible? And maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing, but Hebrews says God's word detects the thoughts, intents, motives, and desires of the heart. And so as we're looking into God's word, having it preached to us, reading it for ourselves, we can see ourselves. And hopefully that's a good image that we're seeing more times than not.

But sometimes you look at that and say that that's not good. I need to change that. I need to do something about it. And so we do need to uh definitely reflect on the word of God. Get it into our spirits and systems and and let it do its good. And then responding verse 30 uh 22, I'm sorry, verse 22. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Do what it says. We got to act on it. live it out, practice it.

James says it's selfdeception when we don't let it change us. He says, "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says." And then he concludes this section, verses 26 and 27, uh, by giving us some examples of how we can practice the word. Uh, one way to know that you're a doer of the word is that you would have a controlled mouth. These aren't the only tests, but they they work. Verse 26. Uh, those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves and their religion is worthless.

Ouch. Uh, one of the ways you can know if you're a doer of the word is that you have self-control over your words. That's an indication that you're maturing and growing and getting better at this Christian walk, Christian journey in your life. And so if you consider yourself religious but don't keep a tight rain on your tongue what you say, uh he says we're being deceived and he goes so far as to say your religion is worthless. That that's that's pretty uh plain and the way it is.

And then verse 27 uh also notes uh religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress. So, uh, this is saying we have a caring heart. Another way you can know if you're a doer of the word is if you have concern, uh, for the helpless and a caring heart for those in needs, whether it's in society or here in the church or within your own family. And so, that's another indication that you're hearing the word of God and doing it, that you look after orphans and widows in their distress.

And then verse 27 also says this, to keep yourself from being polluted by this world. So there's yet another indication James offers uh that we are a doer of the word if we possess and display spiritual integrity and righteous living. And so that's how we are responding to the word of God. Not just listening to it and being deceived, but we're actually doing it. Uh looking at those verses. Now the way we um determine that we are doers of the word is not solely from those two verses alone.

But since we're examining James chapter 1, it makes sense to consider that. And those are some things he says uh will be an indication that we're not just hearing the word of God, but we're also doing it when we have a controlled mouth, caring heart, and even a clean mind, keeping ourselves uh from being polluted by this world. So the blessing of the Bible from this last section verses 19- 27 and again I've kind of hurried through that but uh the blessing of the Bible comes when we live it and then we grow spiritually as a result.

So may God help us amen to be doers of the word and to practice what we already know. So that's a look at James chapter 1. Uh clearly I've uh rifled through uh this in a pretty quick clip. And so I would encourage you and you didn't know in fairness to you. I don't think you knew that we were starting this study of James. And so I would encourage you to take time to read this chapter um and study it on your own. Maybe discuss it with family, friends, or both.

And uh just kind of let this sink in. and and you may have some other uh angles or thoughts about these verses than I didn't bring out tonight. And that of course is fine. And that's what reading and studying and discussing the word of God is all about. So I certainly encourage you to to do that. Uh look at James chapter 1 even though we've already taught it now. Uh perhaps some of these things will come back to you as you read through and then obviously uh for next week, God willing, we will look at chapter two.

And so it would behoove us all to read that second chapter. Uh, Pastor Dong is going to be teaching that as well as chapter three, I believe. So, we'll hear from him on two of these chapters coming up. And so, you could certainly be reading two. And if you want to just read the whole book several times over, it's only five chapters. I don't think it'll take you too long. Uh, that may be to your advantage as well. So, uh, chapter two next week, and I certainly encourage you to consider, uh, chapter one on your own study after having heard this lesson tonight.

Stand with me if you would. Again, God's word is so powerful and helpful to us and I know that you love it and you want to live it out. And so, let's conclude this service with a time of prayer. Just asking God to help us do just that. Not just be hearers, but doers also. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your people. Uh you've redeemed us by your grace and mercy and your blood that was shed for us. And we rejoice in that salvation tonight.

And we know when we're born of water and spirit, it's the beginning of a journey. And things like we are doing tonight, help us in that journey, studying your word. And I pray that you would let your word come alive to each of us. Help us not just to hear, but also be doers of your word, letting it uh be alive in our hearts and guiding our decisions and actions and behavior. I pray Lord that you would give us this grace and help in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bless us throughout the remainder of this week as you tear your coming. We anticipate great things from you in the church and services that are ahead in Jesus name. And everyone said amen. Amen.