Stand With Confidence
Notes
Transcript
Stand With Confidence
James 1:19-27
James clearly suggest a relationship between
Hearing the Word
Obeying the Word
Growing spiritually Experiencing God’s blessings
Superfluity means beyond the regular or expected amount, excess, surplus, abundance.
One must accept God’s Word, act on it and abide by it. John 15:1-7 Abide is mentioned 4 times within these 7 verses.
Verse 22 - Don’t just listen to God’s Word but do what it says.
Verse 23 - “...those who look at themselves in a mirror;” means to stoop down in order to have a good close look.
James words echo the blessing Jesus pronounced in Luke 11:28:
“But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.”
Roman 2:13 - “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
Luke 6:46 - “And why call me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say.”
Expedient means to bring together, help, profitable, useful
Edify means to build, strengthen, build up, make more able.
Verse 25 - “...perfect law...” is talking about true freedom.
John 8:31-32 - “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my Word, then ye are My disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
So God’s Word is like a mirror for believers to examine themselves for ethical defects. If one doesn’t look in the mirror long enough, or at all for that matter, they deceive themselves into believing nothing is wrong with them. In essence, believers who are hearers only are non-reflective and are convinced God is pleased with their surface devotion.
We might call hears only consumers of Christianity, as opposed to Christians.
Consumer Christianity is concerned with receiving but rarely what it is able to output. It is the result of the narcissistic tendencies of our self-centered culture. Narcissistic people do not literally forget their own faces; they just lack the ability to notice and act to remove imperfections and flaws in themselves.
Consumers of Christianity attend services, speak church lingo, listen to gospel music, can quote Scripture and their pastor, and tend to be “good people.” However, consumers rarely serve in the church or community and typically keep their relationship with God to Sundays and Wednesdays.
1 Corinthians 10:13 - “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 - “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Verse 27 - “Pure religion and undefiled before God...care for orphans and widows...and keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Religious refers to external observances.
Conduct and character is disciplined with God’s Word.
Care of orphans and widows is conduct.
Keep oneself unstained is character.
Emphasis is on right living.
Trials and temptations will not topple one who is anchored in God’s truth and applying that truth to his/he life.
Truth means hiding nothing from God!