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The Fifth Sunday After Easter
Christians Must Listen to and Obey the Word
April 27, 2008
TEXT: NKJ James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes
himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he
who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his
tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. 27 Pure and
undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
James is the brother of Jesus—James was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem—he
understood that you cannot sit in the pews for week after week and not
demonstrate your love for God by doing good deeds—that is the will of God—even
as it is taught by our Savior Jesus Christ
NKJ Matthew 7:21 " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
NKJ Luke 6:46 " But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things
which I say?
NKJ John 7:17 "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the
doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
Today we recognize the Word of God as the only authority—and we can validate
doctrine by searching God’s Word
Paul also taught that Christians must obey the will of God—listen as Paul tells
us that we are justified by our obedience to the laws of God—not the 613 laws
given in God’s Word to His Old Testament people—but the law God imprinted into
the heart of all men—when we do wrong—we know it is wrong—the law of God that is
written on our heart tells us when we disobey
NKJ Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without
law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not
the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law
will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do
the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing
or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
TEXT: NKJ James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes
himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
James reinforces his point that there are some who hear the Word of God—but do
not heed the Word—nor do they obey the things God tells us to do—it is
equivalent to looking into a mirror—seeing a soiled spot on your face—and
walking away without doing anything to correct the dirty spot—the sinner that
hears the Word—recognizes his own sin—and walks away without doing anything to
correct the sin—is an unrepentant and unforgiven sinner
We cannot attend worship—hear the Word—and walk out of church to resume living
our lives any which way we want—we have a responsibility to live our lives for
the Lord—what does that mean?—it means that we live our life loving God and
loving our neighbor—living to serve God by serving others who need our help—God
gave us Jesus so that we may have salvation—in appreciation for the comfort of
knowing that we are citizens of heaven—we share what we have with
others—including our knowledge of God and His grace and mercy—we must
continuously consider how to serve—thus the example of the mirror—look at
yourself and clean up the soiled areas you see through the Law of the Word
Paul tells us that we must examine ourselves prior to approaching the altar of
God to partake the sacrament of Holy Communion
NKJ 1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the
bread and drink of the cup.
Paul further tells us that we should not restrict examination of ourselves to
the taking of the Sacrament—we need to examine ourselves continuously—Paul knows
we are weak in faith—we need to be ever-vigilant of that weakness—because Satan
will certainly take advantage of it to attack our souls and our salvation
NKJ 2 Corinthians 13:4 For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by
the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the
power of God toward you. 5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the
faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?
-- unless indeed you are disqualified.
Peter says be steadfast in the faith—there will be trials and suffering—but
Satan cannot overpower us
NKJ 1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that
He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for
you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like
a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in
the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish,
strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and
ever. Amen.
One of Paul’s most telling chapters of Scripture is Romans chapter 7—here Paul
tells us how he used the Law as his “mirror” to examine himself for sin
NKJ Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold
under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do,
that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I
will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no
longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that
is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to
perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not
do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will
not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find
then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I
delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law
in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God -- through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with
the flesh the law of sin.
Paul really understood that the ceremonial law of the Old Testament was a law of
bondage and punishment—and that the law of the Gospel gave liberty from that Old
Testament Law—and freedom from the bondage of sin—God knew we couldn’t live in
accordance with the Law—so He sent His Son, Jesus to establish a new covenant
with man—just as He promised through the Prophet Jerimiah
NKJ Jeremiah 31:31 " Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -- 32
"not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which
they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the
LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will
be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall
know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I
will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Man fell into sin because he could not obey the one law that God gave them—“Do
not eat of this one tree in the garden.”—today we are no better than them—Jesus
reduced the commandments to two—love God & love your neighbor
NKJ Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus
said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great commandment.
39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40
"On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
TEXT: NKJ James 1:26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is
useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to
visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from
the world.
Could James have been thinking of the Scribes and Pharisees of his day?—listen
to Jesus’ description of these men of God
NKJ Luke 20:46 "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes,
love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the
best places at feasts, 47 "who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make
long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
We cannot simply recognize that there is a God—acknowledge that the Bible is
God’s Word—and proceed out of church to have others believe we are
Christians—the very word Christian means to be like Christ—the perfect man who
lived His life for everyone else—for us He died—so we could live—we must be
Christ-like—living for others—just like Jesus taught us in His discussion of
Judgment Day
NKJ Matthew 25:31 " When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy
angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 "All the
nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 "And He will set the sheep on
His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 "Then the King will say to those
on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world: 35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me
food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in
prison and you came to Me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39
'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 "And the King
will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to
one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 "Then He will also
say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 'for I was hungry and you gave Me
no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 'I was a stranger and you
did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you
did not visit Me.' 44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did
we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and
did not minister to You?' 45 "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I
say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did
not do it to Me.' 46 "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but
the righteous into eternal life."
Jesus is teaching that being a Christian is not being a “good person” who
attends church regularly, recognizes that there is a God, and lives his life as
he wants—being a Christian is knowing there is a God—knowing we are God’s
children—and living our lives for Him until He calls us home
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!