#7 - JAMES AND THE BEHAVIOR OF BELIEF - How to Recognize the Presence of Saving Faith

FINDING FRUITFULNESS IN YOUR BIBLE STUDY (continued)

James 1:22-25 - “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 who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

That word, “But” at the beginning of verse 22 links these verses back to verse 21 - “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

We considered two point last Sunday. First - James outlines the particular danger of self-deception that comes to religious Bible readers - Verse 22 - “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

And second - we studied how the Word of God is and is not like a mirror - Verses 23-24 - “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] for he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

Now we’re ready to move on to James’ third point in this great text:

3) THE WORD OF GOD IS THE MIRROR YOU NEVER WALK AWAY FROM

Verse 25 - “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

I’d like to develop three points from verse 25:

A) "The one who looks....”(25)

The word literally means "to stoop and peer into." You find the very same thought in Proverbs 2:4- "If you look for it (wisdom) as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure."

Treasure doesn't lie on the surface. You go mining for it. That’s James’ picture of gleaning truth from God’s Word. You get a Bible dictionary, a Bible commentary, a study Bible, a concordance. You look up cross references. You check to see how other texts deal with the same idea.

Yet even that isn’t enough. You receive the Word of God as you make the Word a part of you. This was hinted at earlier in verse 21 when James talked about the Word of God becoming the “implanted Word” - something that can’t be separated from your actual being - a part of who you are, the way your blood type is a part of who you are. He’s talking about a process by which, while there are times you put your Bible down, you never leave the Word of Truth behind.

B) "....and perseveres....”(25)

“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres....” You have to stay at this to see it begin to produce fruit.

How are we to meditate on God’s Word? The Psalmist tells us - "....in his law he meditates day and night." Take away day and night and there’s not much time left. That’s The Psalmist’s point. There are no parts of the day when I allow the Word of Truth no room in my thoughts and actions.

In the Godly life there should be a constant dialogue, a constant parley between Word and heart. And it should keep going all day long, in all the different activities of life.

There are many things that don't readily look like they have anything at all to do with the Word of God or my Christian faith. But that's just the way it looks on the surface of things. As I grow in Jesus, as I spend more time looking carefully at my life through the lens of Biblical truth, my mind is trained, not instantly, but gradually, to see more eternal significance in everything to which I set my hand.

"Well, boy, Pastor Don, I don't think I'm a terribly ungodly person. I certainly don't want to be. But I just don't think of all that as I go through the day. How can I learn to bring all of my life under the umbrella of God's Word?"

i) First, spend more time in the Word

This is so basic and simple, yet everything James is describing depends on it. There are really only two questions every Christian must answer. First, how much of God’s Word do you think it would be good to have hidden in your heart? Answer that one honestly. Then comes the secondquestion. How do you think the Word will get in there?

ii) Second, constantly bring your thoughts, especially your moral judgments - your conscience - the values you have come to embrace - under the scrutiny of the Word

Hebrews 4:12 - “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Here the writer describes an internal process with the Word that only more mature Christians have sorted out. The Word of God, as he pictures it, isn’t the print on some ancient parchment. He sees God’s Word as it probes and darts around your mind - specifically, your conscience. That’s what the writer means by the Word piercing and opening up the “thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The mind of the Christian isn’t passive or asleep in this process. Wise and careful Spirit-led Christians have learned they need to screen their thoughts in slow motion.

Inward honesty can’t be rushed. A self-protecting conscience, with all its intentions, can mow down good Bible knowledge in a hurry if it isn’t slowed down - governed - made to heel - at the command of the ingrafted Word.

Wise Christians know their lives don’t do well spiritually when governed by reflex impulse. Don't trust your actions to the standards of others - not even in the church. Don't measure your life by your own desires and attractions and feelings. All through the Bible great people of God took the time to question and examine themselves in the presence of God’s Word.

iii) Third, pray unceasingly for the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit in daily activities

John 14:26 - “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

This has primary application to the Spirit’s safeguarding the apostolic authorship of the New Testament. God has insured its historic reliability.

But there’s more than that here. It's humbling to have God show you just how much of life you live leaning on your own understanding and acquired experience. I need to pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal very specifically the Word-centered way of responding to life's situations today, because I have never been exactly where I am today ever before.

Finally, look at the third point from verse 25:

C) “....being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing”(25b)

This very literal translation of the verse doesn’t read as nicely as does the NIV, but its awkward structure makes an important point - “....being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” This terribly bumpy English makes very plain James’ idea. Hearers forget. Doers are blessed.

Let’s wrap up by looking at both sides quickly:

Hearers forget. But what do they forget? It’s right at this point that this text opened up fresh truth to my heart. It is always one of the most exciting times of my whole week. Hearers forget what? They don’t forget what the Bible says. That’s not James’ point at all.

They may very well have memorized what the passage of the day said. They don’t forget the reference. They may very well know where hundreds of important verses are found. And that’s a very good thing to know. They don’t even forget how important the passage they memorized is. They may very well believe with all their heart that God’s Word is the most inspired, inerrant, and important text in all the world.

But, for all of that, James says if they just hear the Word, however methodically and intelligently, they are forgetful hearers. And what they forget is the most important thing of all.

They forget they haven’t done what the Word said. They forget that part. They forget that nobody follows Jesus just because they agree with Him.

And because they’ve forgotten the whole point of what they read, James says they are totally “deceived” about their relationship with God - James 1:22 - “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Hearers forget. They forget that the light of the Word is task- lighting - Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

This is light for steering the feet and lighting the pathway. You will walk in the dark, however brilliant you are, without doing God’s Word. You will miss the truth, however educated you are, without doing God’s Word. You will make eternally wrong decisions, however careful you are, without doing God’s Word.

James is pressing as he wraps up this text. You and I live in a world that thinks the Bible is a nice book. It pays lip-service to the Word, especially the parts that talk about loving each other and the Golden Rule. But when it comes to governing most of the situations of life, this world doesn’t care beans about God's Word. But God does. He always honors His Word. One day He will judge the world by His Word.

Hearers forget. But that’s only one side of James’ point in this last verse of our text. The second is doers are blessed - “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing”(25b).

Learn now that God’s law brings “liberty.” That doesn’t mean it requires no effort. It means it frees your life from its greatest blunders and illumines your darkest blind spots.

Notice James says the doer will be blessed “in his doing.” That’s all the description of the blessing we get because it’s all we need. It’s all inclusive. Whatever the doer does, he will be blessed. It’s not magic. The doer is blessed in whatever he does because he lives the Word in whatever he does.

Does it take effort to bring the truth of the Word to bear on all of life? Yes, you bet. Is it a popular way to live life in this world? Not a chance. Will God honor it? That’s actually the question to ask first, because it’s the only one that matters. James promises, the doer will be blessed in all his doing.