Uderstanding the Bible
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19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Last Wednesday, I said that a lot of people claim to be followers of Jesus, but .ess than 1% of those used the Bible as a guide for their lives. James is saying that people who read it and don’t do what it says are like people who look into a mirror and don’t remember wha they look like.
For some, they don’t know how to read it and understand what it is saying to them.
I. To understand the Bible, we must BE READY to Receive it.
I. To understand the Bible, we must BE READY to Receive it.
How do we get ready?
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
We have to get rid our our sinful attitudes.
We have to get rid our our sinful attitudes.
James says to get rid of the filth and evil in our lives. we do that by confessing our sins to God. So pray before you read the WOG and ask God to reveal and to forgive you of sin.
We have to accept the Word of God
We have to accept the Word of God
Accept means to welcome in or invite it. If we want to understand the Bible, we have to invite it or welcome it into our lives. We have to be ready for it.
James says we accept the WOG that has been planted in our hearts. James says our hearts are like a garden and the WOG is like a seed that’s planted. You can take the same seed and put one of them in one location and then in another and get two totally different qualities of crops. It’s because of the soil.
Is your heart good soil for the WOG? One heart is prepared and the other not… One person will see life change from the WOG and the other will struggle.
Four Attitudes to Help You to Be Ready for the Word of God
Four Attitudes to Help You to Be Ready for the Word of God
Be Careful
Be Careful
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
We need to listen to God and not just talk to him. James says to be quick to listen and slow to speak. We usually do the opposite. Be ready to receive WOG
Be Calm
Be Calm
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
A relaxed attitude increases your ability to hear and receive from the Lord. It’s difficult to hear anyone when we are upset and angry. Readers Digest says listening actually lowers your blood pressure.
Be Clean
Be Clean
Be clean morally and spiritually.
Before you plant a garden, you have to remove the weeds. It’s the same with us.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
Filth and evil things are weeds in our spirits that prevent us from hearing from the Lord.
The word “filth” actually translates “earwax.” Earwax will keep you from hearing what people say. When you have filth in your life, it blocks you from hearing God.
We have to lay aside the emotional garbage on a daily basis so that we can hear the Lord. We do this through confession.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Be Compliant
Be Compliant
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
James says to humbly accept the WOG planted in you. Rhema word… something God is say for you to do. Don’t act like you know it all - you don’t. Accept the WOG to guide you.
If you want to understand the Bible, the first step is to be ready to receive it.
II. To understand the Bible, we must FOCUS OUR ATTENTION on it.
II. To understand the Bible, we must FOCUS OUR ATTENTION on it.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James says God’s word is like a mirror. The purpose of a mirror is to evaluate us. We look into a mirror to see what we look like and to make changes in that appearance. What good is a mirror if we don’t do anything about what we see? While the mirror reflects what we look like on the outside, GW reflects what’s inside … in our hearts.
The Bible detects our thoughts, intents, motives and desires of our hearts.
Many years ago, Queen Elizabeth, who was very beautiful, had all the mirrors removed from Buckingham palace because she could not stand to see the fact that she was growing old.
A lot of people don’t read the WOG because they are afraid. We don’t want to see who we really are and have to respond to that.
Here are some practical ways to reflect on the WOG.
Here are some practical ways to reflect on the WOG.
1. Read it.
1. Read it.
Read the passage several times. Look carefully…
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
This is actually talking about more than simply reading. “LOOK” means to stoop down and gaze in. It’s the same word used when Peter went to the tomb Easter morning and he stooped down and gazed in to see if Jesus was there. It means to focus on it.
When you look at a mirror, you can glance or gaze into it. Glancing and walking away often will result in you forgetting what you looked like. Gazing into the mirror will let you see how you look and make necessary changes.
2. Review it by making a verse by verse list of the facts in the passage.
2. Review it by making a verse by verse list of the facts in the passage.
25 But those who look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, who keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—they will be blessed by God in what they do.
This is meditating on the WOG. Over and over again Jesus says that we are to obey him if we are truly his disciples.
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
Don’t get caught up in the details, just make a list of the facts of the verse.
Don’t get caught up in the details, just make a list of the facts of the verse.
Who is speaking?
What is the subject?
Where is it taking place?
When did it happen?
When you read the passage and these facts, it will help you to understand the passage thoroughly.
3. Go to the List of Facts and look for lessons to learn from each fact.
3. Go to the List of Facts and look for lessons to learn from each fact.
What dies it mean.
Ask yourself,
What are people doing that I should be doing?
Are there commands that I need to oby?
Is there a promise I can stand on?
Is there a warning I should heed?
Is there an example I should follow?
This is how you carefully look at the WOG… look at the details.
4. Ask What is God saying to me?
4. Ask What is God saying to me?
You can’t do this until 1,2, & 3 are completed. In order to do number 4, take the lessons you found in muber 3 and pur them in the form of a question to yourself… your spouse… your child… etc.
As you write the questions, listen to the Lord to communicate to you personally through his word.
III. To Understand the Bible, we have to do what it says.
III. To Understand the Bible, we have to do what it says.
Why would God open more up to me if I am not doing what he has already told me to do.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James says we deceive ourselves when we don’t let the WOG change us. We think that gaining content or being able to quote a lot of verses makes us spiritually mature, but it doesn’t. The test of maturity is not knowledge, it’s character. We have to apply it and practice it in our lives.
ILL - How many here have read a weight loss book, liked it, studied it, talked about it, but did not lose a pound?
We do the same thing with our Bibles. We hear it, study it, discuss it, but we don’t let it change us. We need to let the Bible Change us. We have to do what is says.
ILL - wise and foolish builder
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
Maturity = doer of the word
Three evidences you are practicing the WOG
Three evidences you are practicing the WOG
1. You have a controlled mouth.
1. You have a controlled mouth.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
Gossip / Slander / Back biting / Stirring dissension
2. You have a caring heart.
2. You have a caring heart.
27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
3. You have a clean mind
3. You have a clean mind
27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Conclusion
We are responsible to be doers of the WOG, nit everything in here, but on what God tells me to do.
Maybe some here need to prepare to receive better.
Maybe some of you need to determine to read through the Bible this year.
Maybe some of you need to try to memorize the WOG
All of you need to find a place of ministry where you can get involved.
Greeter Team / Usher Team / Kids Team / Youth Team / Hospitality Team (after funerals, Wed cooking) / Prison Ministry Team / Outreach Team / Alpha Team / CR Team
Apply It
Apply It
1. Read the passage
1. Read the passage
2. What does it say? List the Facts.
2. What does it say? List the Facts.
Who is speaking?
What is the subject?
Where is it taking place?
When did it happen?
3. What does it mean? Learn the lessons
Ask yourself,
What are people doing that I should be doing?
Are there commands that I need to oby?
Is there a promise I can stand on?
Is there a warning I should heed?
Is there an example I should follow?
4. What does God’s Word mean to me? Listen to his voice.
4. What does God’s Word mean to me? Listen to his voice.
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”