The Bible Lived Out

We're going to begin our worship now. We're singing firstly today from Psalm 122.

Psalm 122, that is in the Scottish Psalter version on page 416 of Tunis St. Paul.

I joyed when to the house of God go up, they said to me, Jerusalem within thy gates our feet

shall standing be. Words that people of Israel sang long ago when they made their way up to

the temple to worship the Lord and express their joy in going as well as in arriving.

And it's our great privilege as well to come together, together as they did, as we come

together today. Let's express our joy and thankfulness to God with these great words.

Tunis St. Paul, when we stand to sing, I joyed when to the house of God.

I joyed when to the house of God, O what is said to me?

Jerusalem within thy gates, how ye shall stand in thee?

Jerusalem within thy gates, how ye shall stand in thee?

Jerusalem within thy gates, how ye shall stand in thee?

Jerusalem within thy gates, how ye shall stand in thee?

Within thy walls remain

And never may thy promises

Prosperity retain

Thou, for my friends and brethren, say

Peace be heavy and safe

And for the hands of Father Lord

And seek thy good away

Let's now join together in prayer briefly

Praying especially for the children and the young folks at the moment

Lord our God, we give thanks again that we are able to gather as we have been singing

In this place of worship

A place that has been used for so many years

To seek to glorify the Lord and to give thanks for all his goodness

And we pray today, Lord, for our children, young folks

We pray for them whether they be in creche or tweenies or Sunday school or Bible class

We ask your blessing for them all

You know their circumstances

You know their different capacities of age

We commend them to you, O Lord

And we pray for them

For it is the desire of our hearts to see them following in the ways of the Lord

And we pray today that what they receive in teaching

And in ways in which your word is explained to them

We pray that that will continue to be beneficial to them

And a blessing to them

And indeed to their parents and loved ones as well

Bless the teachers, we pray

And the carers and all who look after

Our young folk in creche and tweenies

Who teach in the Sunday school and the Bible class

We thank you for them

And we pray that they may know your blessing

As they seek to impart that teaching to the young folk

And help us to be thankful as a congregation

When we have so many young families

And so many children and young people who belong to us

And Lord, we ask that your blessing will be with us

To provide for us in regard to all of these needs

Hear us now, we pray

And pardon our sin

For Jesus' sake

Amen

Well, today I'm following what the syllabus is for the Sunday school

And the Sunday school syllabus today

At least on the sheet that I've got

Has to do with Saul

King Saul in the Old Testament

Being rejected by God as king

There are two chapters in the Old Testament

In 1 Samuel chapter 13

1 Samuel 13 · chapter mention

And 1 Samuel 15

Where we find God saying that he had rejected Saul

From being king

Now something serious must have really happened

Before God would have rejected him

From being king

Having already had him anointed as king over the people

And that's true

When you read these two passages in 1 Samuel

You'll discover why it was that God rejected him

The first passage really was

God having said through Samuel

To Saul to wait in a certain place for seven days

Until Samuel had come back

And then he would actually go from there

To somewhere else

And Saul waited for the seven days

Samuel hadn't yet appeared

So Saul decided

I'll just do the sacrifice myself

And so that's what he did

And before he was finished

Samuel appeared

And Samuel told him

That he had done wrong

That he was actually disobeying the Lord

And the ways that the Lord

Had set out for his worship

And for sacrifice

He should have waited for Samuel

Even though he thought

Well he's late

So I'll just do it myself

That was the problem with Saul there

That's the problem with Saul also

In 1 Samuel 15

What Saul was really doing

In both cases

Was doing what he thought was best

Instead of following God's direction

He actually decided to do it his way

And to do it in a way that was different

To the way God had specified

And that means

In each of these cases

He was being disobedient to God

And that was really serious

And it's still a serious thing for us as well

Because obedience to God

Is one of the marks

Of a genuine Christian

Obedience to God is important

In the life of a Christian

It doesn't matter what age we're at

Even when we are actually older

We're still, as Christians

Required to obey God

To obey him in everything

That he sets out

We need to do and be for him

So it's an important mark

Of a Christian

To have obedience to God

And when Saul was being disobedient

God saw that as being very serious

Especially for a man

Who had been made king

Over Israel

And also that's why God

Rejected him

And afterwards

David took Saul's place

As king over Israel

So for you as young folk today

It's important for yourselves

That whenever we don't do

What God says we should do

We're being disobedient

And whenever we do

What God said we don't do

That's also being disobedient

And when we're disobedient to God

Well that is something that God

Is not pleased with

God is pleased with

Our obedience to him

And we show our obedience to him

When we accept him

When we love him

When we serve him

When we want him

To be the most important person

In our lives

This is what Jesus said

In John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

And verse 36

And I want you to notice

How Jesus combined together

Faith, believing

And also obeying

This is what he said

Whoever believes in the Son

That's Jesus himself

Whoever believes in the Son

Has eternal life

Whoever does not obey the Son

Shall not see life

But the wrath of God

Remains on him

You can see from that

That believing in Jesus

Involves obeying Jesus

And obeying Jesus

Involves believing in Jesus

You can't have the one

Without the other

So today

Our obedience

Is so important

Whatever age we are at

Okay so we'll say

The Lord's Prayer now together

Our Father

Which art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth

As it is in heaven

Give us this day

Our daily bread

And forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom

The power and the glory

Forever

Amen

I'm going to sing again now

To God's praise

In Psalm 119

Psalm 119

Again it's the Scottish Psalter

On page 407

407

June this time is Wiltshire

Thy word forever is

O Lord

In heaven settled fast

And to all generations

Thy faithfulness

Doth last

All our singings today

Refer to the word of God

Because our sermon's

Going to focus on

Our word

On the word

And our being doers

Of the word

From the epistle of James

Psalm 119

At verse 89

Thy word forever is

O Lord

In heaven settled fast

Fast

Thy word for him

But this O Lord

In heaven settled fast

Unto all generations

Thy faithfulness

Thy faithfulness

The past

The earth of us

Estublish it

And it applies by thee

This day they stand

As the Lord be

For all thy servants be

Unless in thy most perfect law

My soul delights are found

I should not perish

My soul delights are found

My soul delights are found

Thy peace and sight

Will never forget

Everything to be brought

Everything to be brought

Lord I am thine

For save thou me

Thine peace set thine out

Out

For all thy

Thine peace and soul

For all thy wicked

Thine peace and soul

For all thy wicked

Thine peace and soul

Thy dead

Thy dreams

with joy.

I can

know

all

perfection.

Here

have I

see thee

O Lord.

But

else for

I commanded

it

is

exceeding

cross.

Let's turn to read God's word now.

We're reading from the epistle, the letter

of James

and chapter 1 from

the beginning. The letter of James

James 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

page 1215

or so in your church Bibles if you're

using these.

So James chapter 1

James 1 · chapter mention

we'll read from the beginning.

James a servant of God

and of the Lord Jesus Christ

to the twelve tribes of the

dispersion

greetings.

Count it all joy my brothers

when you meet trials of various kinds

for you know that the testing

of your faith produces steadfastness

and let steadfastness

have its full effect

that you may be perfect and complete

lacking in nothing.

if any of you

lacks wisdom

let him ask God

who gives generously to all

without reproach

and it will be given him.

But let him ask in faith

with no doubting

for the one who doubts

is like a wave of the sea

that is driven and tossed

by the wind

for that person

must not suppose

that he will receive anything

from the Lord.

He is a double-minded man

unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast

in his exaltation

and the rich in his humiliation

because like a flower of the grass

he will pass away

for the sun rises

with its scorching heat

and withers the grass

its flower falls

and its beauty perishes

so also will the rich man

fade away

in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man

who remains steadfast

under trial

for when he has stood the test

he will receive

the crown of life

which the Lord has promised

to those who love him.

Let no one say

when he is tempted

I am being tempted by God

for God cannot be tempted

with evil

and he himself

tempts no one.

But each person is tempted

when he is lured

and enticed

by his own desire.

Then desire

when it has conceived

gives birth to sin

and sin

when it is fully grown

brings forth death.

Do not be deceived

my beloved brothers

every good gift

and every perfect gift

is from above

coming down

from the Father of lights

with whom there is no variation

or shadow due to change.

Of his own will

he brought us forth

by the word of truth

that we should be

a kind of first fruits

of his creatures.

Know this

my beloved brothers

let every person

be quick to hear

slow to speak

slow to anger

for the anger of man

does not produce

the righteousness

that God requires.

Therefore put away

all filthiness

and rampant wickedness

and receive with meekness

the implanted word

which is able

to save your souls.

But be doers

of the word

and not hearers only

deceiving yourselves.

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

for he looks at himself

and goes away

and at once

forgets what he was like.

But the one

who looks into

the perfect law

the law of liberty

and perseveres

being no longer

one who forgets

but a doer

who acts

he will be blessed

in his doing.

If anyone

thinks he is religious

and does not

bridle his tongue

but deceives

his heart

this person's

religion is worthless

religion that is pure

and undefiled

before God

and the Father

is this

to visit orphans

and widows

in their affliction

and to keep oneself

unstained

from the world.

May the Lord

add his blessing

to our reading

that portion

of his word.

Let's join together

again once more

in prayer.

Lord we thank you

today for your word.

We thank you

for all that it

contains.

We thank you

for the way

that you took

account of our

needs

as you caused

your word

to be written

down over the

centuries.

We thank you

therefore that your

word is both

authoritative

and also relevant

to our needs

that it is backed

up by your

authority

and by your

knowledge of us.

And we ask

today that your

word will be

blessed to us

and prized by us.

Help us Lord

to be like the

psalmist who

could say that

he treasured

your word in

his heart

so that he

would not sin

against you.

As we come

before you Lord

and around your

word Lord we

pray today for

your Holy Spirit

to open our

minds to give

us an understanding

of your word

and to enable

us to carry it

forward in our

lives so that

we may be as

this passage says

to us a doers

of your word

and not hearers

only.

We give thanks

Lord for each

and every one

that comes today

to gather together

with your people

everywhere throughout

the world.

We know that we

belong to a

great volume of

people,

a great multitude

of people

most of whom

we don't know

and yet they are

all known to you

and all known

to you intimately

and personally.

We thank you

that your word

assures us that

you know even

the number of

the hairs on

our head

that you are

able to deal

with every aspect

of our need

however great

or however small

it may be.

Lord we pray

today that you

bless us here

as a people,

bless us as we

gather as a

congregation,

bless us with

our individual

concerns,

with our family

concerns,

with our concerns

in the wider

sense for our

community,

for our nation,

for the world

in which we live.

we give thanks

that we are able

to express these

to you in prayer

and that we are

able as we sing

your praises also

to take account

of the words

that we are

singing and

recognize that

in so many respects

the things that

we see in our

world and in our

society are not

new but have

been features of

the world at

different times

in the way in

which human

beings have lived

and interacted

together.

We ask today

oh God that

we here may be

thankful for all

the goodness that

you keep showing

to us for the

ways in which we

know your blessing

already to have

affected and

touched our lives.

We pray today

that that will be

added to as we

seek further

blessing here Lord

from you at this

time.

We give thanks

again for all

that we can reflect

on that you have

done for us and

you continue to do

for us as a

people.

We pray today Lord

that your work

amongst us will

continue that we

will see much

fruit for the

way in which the

gospel is presented

and your people

serve you that we

will see many

others coming to

be joined to you

and to walk in

your ways and to

give themselves to

the work of the

gospel in the

different ways in

which we would

seek oh Lord to

serve you and to

hold forth the

word of life in

our community.

Remember us in

all our activities.

Remember us in

everything Lord that

we seek to do in

conjunction with your

worship and the

preaching of your

word.

We pray that today

Lord we may follow

with our own

prayers everything

that's happening

already in regard to

our young people

in regard to the

various ways in

which we anticipate

this week meetings

to take place

associated with

your truth and

with the gospel and

with your people.

And grant Lord to

continue to remember

us and to provide

for us.

Remember us in

terms of the

practical and

financial needs of

the congregation

too.

Lord we recognize in

your providence that

we live in difficult

and testing times

even in regard to

these things even

though we know that

they are not as

hard and testing as

they are for many

others throughout the

nation and even

throughout the world.

Nevertheless Lord

give us we pray to

be dedicated to the

upholding of your

cause and we thank

you for the measure

in which this is

already the place

with us as a

people.

Remember now those

who are ill of our

number we pray for

them today oh Lord

and ask that you'd

bless them whether

at home or in

hospital or in

care homes receiving

treatment or looking

forward to such.

Lord we pray for

them and ask that

your healing hand

will be upon them

where that is

pleasing to you.

We pray for those

who mourn over

loved ones gone

and the death of

loved ones Lord is

something that

features in our

congregational life

from week to week

and we commend to

you today those

families those

individuals who have

lost loved ones in

recent days in

recent weeks and

months and even in

past years we Lord

commend them to you

for we know that

bereavement and the

sorrow and the

absence of loved ones

is something that

remains with us all

our days and we

pray oh Lord as

you are the one who

promises to be a

father to the

fatherless and the

widow stay we pray

that you would prove

yourself oh Lord to be

for us one who is

dependable at all

times and consistent

in the way in which

you keep your

promises.

Remember the world

in which we live

we bring before you

today Lord all the

troubles of the

world and the

troubled parts of the

world and we pray

that you would bless

where there is war and

conflict and we know

that there are many

places Lord where this

is the case throughout

the world even in

addition to the ones

we regularly have

featured on our news

reports.

Be merciful to us

Lord we pray

throughout our human

society and turn us

into your ways and be

pleased to bring the

quickening effects of

the gospel to bear

upon our world as we

pray as we have

already read in the

Lord's prayer that

your will be done on

earth as it is in

heaven.

And we ask Lord today

that you would also

be pleased to bless us

as a nation.

Lord we are so

concerned from week

to week at the

ways in which we

find violence and

protest turned into

violence and ideologies

that are contrary to

the gospel upheld and

exalted and praised.

Be merciful to us

Lord we pray as a

people and turn us

into your ways and

help us to value again

the gospel and its

message and the

testimony of your

church throughout the

ages that there is no

other name given under

heaven but the name of

Jesus by which we must

be saved.

Be merciful to those

who are over us in

power and authority in

our governments and

with the king and all

others Lord who have

places of authority and

influence and importance

throughout our land.

You have called upon us

Lord to pray for those

in authority and to

pray that we may live

peaceable lives and that

we might have a society

where the gospel will

flourish.

And so we do pray for

these things today.

We ask now that you'd

bless us and further

guide us in our praise

and in our thoughts upon

your word and as we

seek to set it forth in

the preaching of your

word.

Be with us Lord we pray

in all aspects of this.

Forgive our sins and

cleanse us for Jesus'

sake.

Amen.

Amen.

Well we'll sing once again

before we turn to the

scriptures singing this

time in Psalm 19.

This time it's in the

Sing Psalms version.

You'll find that on page

23 of the psalm books.

Page 23 and we're singing

verses 7 to 11.

The tune is St.

John.

The perfect law of God

revives the soul of man.

The statutes which are

sure make wise the

simple one.

The precepts of the Lord

are right and fill the

heart with great delight.

Words again which

celebrate the word of God

and the effects of God's

word when it's blessed to

us and how it brings to

our hearts such joy when

we rejoice in the Lord

through it.

These verses then 7 to 11.

The perfect law of God

revives the soul of man.

The perfect law of God

revives the soul of man.

His statutes which are sure

make wise the simple one.

The perfect law of God.

The perfect law of God.

The perfect law of God.

The perfect law of God.

The perfect law of God.

And fill the heart with great delight.

God with great delight.

cybt十 Corrections And the perfect law of God.

The perfect law of God.

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Check light on what we see.

The fear of God is pure,

and lasts eternally.

The standards of the Lord express

His perfect truth and righteousness.

Of our worth and gold,

and what pure Lord they are,

and our money from the gold,

and our money sweeter fine.

May or the servant of the Lord

and keep in heaven's day reward.

Now let's turn together, as we wait on the Lord,

to James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

Today we're looking at verses 22 to 25,

and I'm going to read again from verse 18,

because these verses really flow together.

So we'll read from verse 19.

Know this, my beloved brothers,

that let every person be quick to hear,

slow to speak, slow to anger,

for the anger of the man does not produce

the righteousness that God requires.

Therefore put away all filthiness,

and rampant wickedness,

and receive with meekness

the implanted word,

which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word,

and not a doer,

he's like a man who looks intently

at his natural face in a mirror,

for he looks at himself and goes away,

and at once forgets what he was like.

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.

Well, when you read through the epistle of James,

you very soon realize

that this is a very practical part of Scripture,

a very practical letter.

Indeed, you could say that,

it would be true to say that James

is the most practical

of all the letters of the New Testament,

because it's more or less practiced

from beginning to end.

And James is always to the point.

As you read through his letter,

you begin to realize,

well, here's somebody

who takes no prisoners

with what he says.

He's very often sharp.

He's very often denouncing

certain ways of life.

And therefore,

he confronts us with the truth of God,

not in an unloving way,

but in a very direct way.

And that's one thing we have to

bear in mind as a distinction

that's important for ourselves

as well at all times.

For somebody to be non-compromising

in terms of the gospel,

in terms of what God himself

has set forth in his word,

to be non-compromising,

to be steadfast in keeping

to the word of God,

it's not the same thing

as to be unloving.

Yes, there are ways

in which we can present the gospel

in a way that's not tactful,

in a way that's harsh,

in a way that seems

at least to be unloving.

But that's not what James is doing.

He's being direct

because what he wants to present

to his readers is so important

in terms of their lives practically.

And I hope we come across that way

in the preaching of the gospel

because God lays that burden upon us

as preachers of the gospel

to be uncompromising

in presenting the truth

of the gospel

to all who hear it.

But we never want to be

unloving in doing that.

Being at times direct

as the word is direct.

If we're true to the word,

then we present the word

as directly speaking to us,

speaking to us

in an uncompromising way.

But we never want to do that

unlovingly.

We never want to present things

harshly or in a way

that comes across

as if we didn't really care

about those we're preaching to.

So if we come across

at times as seeming to be harsh

or overly direct,

I hope it's because

we're being true

to the word of God

and not because we're unfeeling

or unloving towards yourselves.

And so here in this passage

from chapter 1, verse 21,

we read there in verse 21,

he finishes that verse

by referring to the word of God,

the implanted word,

he calls it there,

using an agricultural term.

Or verse 18 even says

that of his own will,

God has brought us forth,

given birth to us

by the word of truth.

And he carries on that theme

of the word of God,

the word of truth that we have,

when he says,

now but be doers of the word

and not hearers only,

deceiving ourselves.

And so in verse 19,

you could say

what he's dealing with is

how we hear the word.

We have to receive the word

in a way that's quick to hear it.

Somebody has said,

God has given us

two ears and one mouth.

Just to follow what

James is saying there,

quick to hear,

slow to speak.

And that's how we find ourselves

confronted with God's word,

to be quick to hear it,

to be anxious to hear it,

but to be slow

in using our tongues.

He has a chapter

that deals with the tongue

in chapter three

and that's an important passage.

But that's taking us away

from the main passage

that we're looking at today.

How we hear the word

and then in verses 21 to 25,

you could say he's looking at

how we live out the word.

That's what we've called

our study today.

The Bible lived out.

The Bible as it's seen

in the lives of people

practically that want

to be true to God,

that live out the word

of God in their lives.

And that's really what

James is saying.

Be doers of the word

and not hearers only.

And he follows on

by giving us an illustration

as well of the mirror.

So two things he's looking.

He's giving us firstly

the imperative.

It's really in the form

of an imperative

or a command.

Be doers of the word

and not hearers only.

And he's following

that imperative

by the illustrative,

by the illustration.

If anyone is a hearer

of the word

and not a doer,

he's like a man

who looks intently

at his natural face

in a mirror

and so on.

So following that pattern,

let's look at

the points he gives us

there under these two headings.

First of all,

there's this imperative.

Be doers of the word

and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves.

Now it's clear

from what James is saying there

that hearing the word

is not unimportant.

And how we hear the word

is not unimportant.

That's what we said

in verse 18,

going back to being quick

to hear the word.

In other words,

to hear the word

in such a way

as realizes

is the importance

of taking account

of what this word

is saying to us,

seriously reckoning with it

and what it's saying,

taking it into our minds,

thinking it through,

applying it to life,

to our behavior,

to our way of life

and all aspects of it.

We are to hear the word

in such a way

that really hears it intently,

that hears it seriously,

that regards it

as God speaking to us

through the written word

that he's given us.

Romans chapter 10,

Romans 10:17

verse 17,

you remember that

that context has to do

with preaching

and how God has sent people

to preach the word,

but he also says

that faith comes by hearing

and hearing the word of God

or the word of Christ.

In other words,

the faith that we want to have

as a feature of our lives

by which we live,

faith in God,

trust in God,

how does that come about?

Well, it comes about largely,

Paul was saying in Romans 10,

by the hearing of the gospel,

by the hearing of the word preached.

And that has its own implications,

which I'm not going to spend time on

at the moment to add to that,

to amplify that,

but the word preached,

seeing it's such an important feature

of how faith is produced

and how faith is fed by God,

it's so vital to us

to be under the preaching of the word

as you are here today,

whether you're online

or here in person.

We're under the word preached,

and the word preached,

God has specified,

is his way,

one of his main ways

of dealing with our needs

as human beings.

Preaching is an agency

that God has set up.

Agency in the sense of a means

or a method,

but you could say

preaching is the agency

for person building,

for building us up

in our person.

So that fits into

what James is actually saying

in being doers of the word

and not hearers only.

When he says not hearers only,

obviously means

but you are still hearers also.

And the hearing comes

ahead of the doing.

We can only be doers of the word,

put it into practice

in our lives

by first of all hearing it

and hearing it

in a way that intends

the doing of it,

in a way that regards it

as an important feature

of what God's gifts to us are,

the preaching of the word

being a primary means

of faith

and of producing faith.

So James has emphasis

on being not hearers only,

being doers

as well as hearers.

In other words,

we really have to be careful

that we come to be doers

of God's word

and not be satisfied

with simply hearing it.

It's a great thing

to be hearers of God's word

and we've said

how important a feature it is

in the method

that God uses

to feed our souls.

But you know,

we could go away

from here today,

I could be away

from here today

and congratulate myself

that I had preached

the word of God,

that I had kept to the text

that I had chosen

or God had laid on my heart

to preach from.

You could go away

from here today

and say,

well, I heard the word of God,

I really listened

while I was there

and then go away

and congratulate yourself

and congratulate myself

in doing that.

But have I put it

into practice?

Have I become

the things

that God itself

in his word

tells me I need to be?

Have I done the things

or have I avoided

doing the things

that God's word

sets before me

I should be doing

or not be doing?

Remember John

in chapter 5

and verses 39 to 40,

Jesus speaking there

to the crowd there,

he's speaking to those people

that were at that time

gathered around him

and he's finding fault

with them

for one thing especially,

he's finding fault

with them

not for searching

the scriptures

because that's what

they were doing.

You are searching

the scriptures,

he said,

for they are they

which testify about me

and in them

you do think

you have eternal life

and they weren't wrong

in that.

But you will not

come to me

that you might have life.

See,

you can be a hearer

of the word,

I have never come

to Christ.

You can be a hearer

of the word today

and satisfy yourself

that you've heard

the word,

that you've been

attentive to the word,

that you've gone

to where the word

is preached

and then you go home

unsaved.

And that means

you haven't really

done the word.

You haven't been through

to what God is saying

to you,

to come to Jesus,

to repent of sin,

to place your trust

in Christ,

to give your life

over to him.

So many ways

in which we can

be hearers of the word

and be hearers only.

And then James

adds something

very significantly

to that.

He said,

Be doers of the word

and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves.

Now this is something

that James frequently

mentions,

deceiving yourselves.

We saw it earlier

in the chapter

where he mentioned

deceiving,

being deceived

in verse 16.

Do not be deceived,

my beloved brothers.

Every good gift,

every perfect gift

is from above.

And he mentions

throughout the letter

different times

that we can deceive ourselves.

And the word

that's used here

is very interesting.

It really means

to be led astray

by false reasoning.

To be led away

by false reasoning.

In other words,

you can hear the word,

you can in a measure

accept what it's saying

and listen to it

in such a way

that you're actually

careful at the time.

And we'll see that

in a minute

in the illustration used.

But then you don't do

what the word is saying.

And you know,

you can end up

very easily

persuading yourself,

well,

I don't really need

that part of

a Christian character.

I can leave that out.

I can be happy

with what I've got.

I don't really need

actually seriously

to take communion,

to go to the Lord's table,

though I know

God's word

is telling me that.

But I can just leave that.

I'm not really thinking

of that as so important.

You can deceive yourself

so easily.

I can deceive myself

so easily

by persuading ourselves,

by false reasoning,

that there are certain features

of what the Bible describes

as a Christian life

that are not applicable to me.

That are not applicable

or necessary for me

to follow out.

That's for other folks.

Other folks who want to

go that far

with their religious life

or their spiritual life,

their Christian life,

that's fine,

that's for them,

but I'm quite happy with them.

I'm a hearer of the word.

I go to church.

I do that.

That'll do for me.

Well, James is saying,

be careful.

You could be deceiving yourself.

Be a doer of the word

and not a hearer only,

deceiving yourself.

People tell us that

if you have a stretch of water

or an area of water

that has a stream flowing into it

but no outlet,

what happens to that stretch of water

or to that area of water?

Something like the Dead Sea,

for example.

Other areas as well you can see.

But what happens to that area of water

if there's a lovely,

fresh, flowing stream

going into it

but nothing coming out of it?

Well, it becomes stagnant.

It putrefies.

It becomes stinking.

And it becomes useless.

You know, a human life

can be like that.

And if we're through

to what James is saying

and giving place

to his pointedness

and to his directness,

your life and my life

could very easily be that

if we're deceiving ourselves

that being a hearer of the word

is sufficient,

if you like,

the water of the gospel

is going into us.

But there's no outflow

and our life becomes

like stagnant water

if we take the hearer's only approach.

So, be a doer of the word

and not a hearer only.

That's the imperative

that James is beginning with.

But he moves on

to the illustrative

because he wants to illustrate that

to give us something

by which we can

have that

greater focus

upon what he's saying.

And when he says

in the illustration here,

he is using

the illustration

of a mirror.

If anyone is a hearer

of the word

and not a doer,

in other words,

a hearer only,

he's like a man

who looks intently

at his natural face

in a mirror.

For he looks at himself

and goes away

and at once

forgets what he was like.

But the one

who looks into

the perfect law,

the law of liberty,

we'll see what that means

in a minute.

It means really

the whole of the word of God,

not just the law part of it.

If he looks into that,

he being not a hearer

who forgets

but a doer who acts,

he will be blessed

in his doing.

In other words,

he's still focusing

on the difference

between being a hearer only

and somebody

who's a hearer

and a doer.

Now look at the illustration.

Somebody who looks

at himself

in a mirror

and then goes away

and forgets.

Now the difference,

the distinction

James is making

is not

between somebody

who just glances

casually at himself

and somebody

who really,

in looking into

the law of liberty,

looks seriously

at himself.

Because you'll notice

that both

use words

that show

the looking

as that looking intently.

Here's a man

who's looking intently

at his natural face

in a mirror.

He doesn't just go out

in the morning,

have a look at his

face in the mirror

before he goes,

just a casual glance

and he says,

okay,

my hair's okay

and I don't need

to shave today

so off I'll go.

It's not that kind

of casual glance

he's talking about

at all.

He looks at himself

intently

in this mirror.

He looks at

what his face

is like

as he sees himself

in the mirror

but then he goes away

and at once

forgets what he was like.

In other words,

James is telling us

that it's so,

so possible

to look at yourself

in the word of God

as the mirror

by which it tells you

about yourself

and what you're like

and then all too soon

be distracted.

Something happens

in your life

and you actually

don't find that image

of what the mirror

gave you,

the word of God

gave you,

abiding with you

so you forget it

and you just carry on

as things were.

He looks at himself

intently

and he forgets

what he's like.

We're so very easily

distracted,

aren't we,

from the image

of ourselves

that the Bible

gives us

and we allow

so many things

to interfere

with that image

of ourselves

as God shows us

what we're like

and what our needs are

and whether

we're unsaved still

and the Bible

tells us

you need to repent

and to place your trust

in Jesus

and then something happens

as you leave church

and interacts

and interferes

with your thinking

and you go the rest

of the week

and there's all

of these distractions

and before the next

Lord's Day comes

you've lost

the image of yourself

the Bible gave you

or you might be

a Christian today

and you might say

well the Bible

showed me today

what I need to do

I need to attend

to my life

in a way that

prays regularly

in a way that

values company

with other Christians

I need to attend

to my life

by regular reading

of the word of God

so that I do

that aspect of it

faithfully as well

but then throughout

the week

so many things

happen don't they

that distract us

myself included

from all of these

aspects of

what's essential

to a Christian life

and a Christian character

and he's saying

don't

be like that

otherwise we're like

somebody

looks intently

at himself

in a mirror

sees there

what he sees

takes stock of it

but then just

forgets it

and goes on his way

as if he'd seen

nothing at all

and then maybe

a good long time

after that

he realizes

that's not good enough

I need to go back

to the mirror

but he contrasts that

with the one

who looks into

the perfect law

the law

of liberty

the perfect law

the law of liberty

is a reference

to the whole

word of God

I'll come to

the actual phrase

in a minute

but just keep

the contrast here

and the way

in which they're

compared

the person

who looks

at himself

intently

but then forgets

and here's the person

who looks into

and it really means

to stoop down

to look into

so it's the same idea

of

well it's a different word

James uses

the same idea

of looking

seriously

into the word

of God

who looks into

the perfect law

the law of liberty

but being no hearer

who forgets

but a doer

who acts

in other words

this person

unlike the one

who looked in the mirror

and then went away

and was distracted

this person

looked into the mirror

of God's word

saw himself

or herself

in God's word

and then what

well they went away

and carried that mirror

with them

they remained

in the company

of the word of God

they let the word

of God

actually travel

with them

into the various

aspects of the day

that they were

involved with

and I know that's

hugely challenging

to myself

and it's challenging

to you as well

because I'm sure

if you're like me

there are times

throughout each day

when you realize

I haven't really

let the word of God

influence how I see that

or how I spoke

or how I related

to such and such

a person

we're all guilty

of that

but here is

the way that James

reminds us

how important it is

to look into

the perfect law

of liberty

the mirror

of God's word

but actually

carry that with us

he being not

a forgetful hearer

but a doer

who acts

he will be blessed

in his doing

in other words

he perseveres

in the company

of the word

of God

that he looked into

and saw himself in

so if you carry that

contrast with you

you can see that

this is how he puts

it into practice

now that means that

we today need to give

not just a hearing

to this word of God

but to be hearing

in such a way

that says

I must let this word

remain with me

throughout this week

I've begun this week

in a good way

I've been in church

I've heard the word of God

I've heard it preached

I've been under the word

by which faith comes

so now I must attend

every day to this

that I keep that word

in my company

and keep company with it

that I'm not a forgetful

person who just looked

on one occasion

and then forget

for the rest of the week

I must carry it with me

I must be in its companionship

it must be my constant companion

must feed my mind

my thinking

my reactions

my speech

that's what we

need to put to ourselves

today friends

isn't it

because we want to be

productive

fruitful Christians

we want to be people

who have some sort of

impact or influence

in the society

in which we live

we will not do that

by being hearers

only

of the word of God

we must be hearers

and doers

some people think

that

this passage

really has to do

with us

practically being

as fully involved

as possible

with things like

the church's outreach

evangelism

evangelistic activities

whatever they might be

and of course

that's included in it

absolutely

but you mustn't think

that being a doer

of the word

is just those

sort of things

where you're seen

practically to be

active Christians

to be a doer

of the word

means you pray

faithfully

it means you read

your Bible

faithfully

it means you take

your relationships

faithfully

it means every

single thing

of a practical

Christian life

that you put

into action

as a doing

of the word

of God

so every aspect

of life

privately

relationships

publicly

whatever they are

they have to be

by the

they have to be

in a way

that's fed

by the word

of God

so become

doers

of the word

of God

and being

faithful

to God

involves being

a doer

of the word

of God

but let's look

at why he calls

this the perfect

law

the law

of liberty

whoever

looks into

the perfect

law

the law

of liberty

and perseveres

well you carry

the imagery

with you

of the word

of God

being a mirror

in which you

see yourself

and you're

looking into it

into peering

into it

as he says

in verse 25

looking into it

in terms of

stooping down

humbling yourself

to say

this word

is the word

that must direct

my mind

not the other

way about

and as you do

that

it is the

perfect law

the law

of liberty

sometimes we think

that God's

law