FBC Morning Light – October 8, 2022

In Saturday morning, people of faith, we're in James 1, verses 21 -25 this morning. Let me read. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of 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 observing his natural face in a mirror. For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

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. Verse 21 here, when it talks about the implanted word, first of all, that word is only used one time in the entire New Testament, and it's used right here.

And there's this idea in verse 21 of whether or not this implanted word is going to have an effect. And might I suggest to you, it's not in a lack of power in the word, but with how that word is received by us.

And it makes me think of Matthew chapter 13, and where Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower. And he says, therefore hear the parable of the sower in verse 18 in Matthew chapter 13. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This is he who received the seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.

For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received the seed among the thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundredfold, some 60, some 30. Back in James, it talks then about being a doer of the word and not a hearer only.

And the hearer only is like a person who looks in the mirror and there's an implication here that they see that something is wrong. Maybe their hair is messed up, maybe there's mud or dirt on their face, and they just turn around and walk away and don't do anything about it.

That doesn't make any sense. Likewise, when we hear the word and instead of being washed by the word, we realize the word is saying there's something wrong about us, we just go away and pretend like that conviction never happened.

It is a foolish thing to do. And so, I want to give us three areas today. This is not an exhaustive list, but three areas in which when we hear the word, we might be hearers only. Number one, we hear the word, but we don't understand what the word is saying, and then we don't try to find out what the word's saying.

It doesn't quite make sense to us. Might I give you a couple of suggestions here? First, ask God who gives wisdom. Ask him first. Second, ask godly believers that you know. There's people here in this church that would love to talk things over.

We or they may or may not have the answer, but it's a good thing to have a discussion over if there's something in the word you don't understand. And then finally, a spouse, a pastor, a deacon, consulting a commentary, a godly commentary.

There have been godly people throughout the ages who have wrestled with likely the same thing that you're wrestling with. Those are some suggestions if you're having an issue with understanding. The second area where you may be a hearer only is when you are happy to know that Jesus died for you, and you don't want him to change you at all.

You receive the word with gladness because you want salvation, but when it comes down to it, your heart has not been changed, and you are that unregenerate person who just wants some fire insurance so you don't go to hell when you die, but you're really not interested in Jesus being the Lord of your life and having any say-so in what you do and don't do.

Be very careful if that is you. You can play a lot of games with a lot of people, but the Lord knows, and he knows your heart, and I'd suggest that you come to him on his terms and not on your own. The third one is the worries of the world when you hear the word, you know it's true, but you say, what will other people think if I really follow this Jesus character?

What will people think if I don't go along with the crowd, or what if I am not pursuing the finances that I know I need and letting that take priority over applying God's word in your life? All three of these are ways in which we can, each one of us, be hearers of the word rather than doers of the word.

And let us think of this implanted word, and it reminds me of what it says in Colossians, that we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. And that's my prayer for us today. Let's go ahead and pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the word become flesh in your son. Help us to apply your word to our lives. Let our lives not be ruled by a non-understanding of your word, or by a surface-level understanding and not letting you change us, or by letting the cares and concerns of this world take priority over applying your word to our lives.

Rather, let your word dwell in us richly. It's in your son's name, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.