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We're beginning and we've been going through the book of James and this is going to be our track here. I'm what? We're going to look at this Part of the Word of God and James about being doers of the word and not hearers only.
In verse and verses 22 through 25. Lord will and we'll try to finish this. I doubt if I cover all of it, but we'll try. Then we're going to take a break for a couple weeks because as you well know This is the Easter season and we just set this time.
It's I saw this on a on a billboard in a church and and they're right about this. This time of the year is one of the holiest times of the year for Christians to celebrate and that is the resurrected Christ.
So we want to Lord willing next week. I'd like to look at Jesus on Palm Sunday is Jesus's entry into Jerusalem as They shouted and praised him blessed as he who comes in the name of the Lord and they said hosanna.
And.
We're going to take that from there and probably tie it into the cross to the crucifixion. How Jesus that was his purpose and coming into the world was to die upon the cross? That was his command from the Father.
So we're going to look at that and then of course on Easter Sunday has to be a resurrection servant. So I'm thinking about. Going to the text. On that early morning in John, I think it's John chapter.
It's in chapter 20, I believe.
That.
Mary Magdalene saw our Lord and look at that wonderful story there that she was the first to see our resurrected Lord and.
Just.
Praise him and glorify him as a resurrected. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus is no longer on the cross. That was the reason hot by you came, but he's not on the cross. We don't serve a dead Christ. The tomb is empty the thrones occupied.
A man Keith and he's there as our Resurrected risen Lord and the father raised him up from the dead and hey, our faith is not in vain.
It's because.
Jesus has risen from the dead. So we serve a Christ that is living and he forever lives at the father's right hand and makes intercession for us. We have a lot to praise God for well, but today we're gonna look at James in chapter 1.
We've been looking at some pretty strong verses here last week we covered The last part so then my beloved brethren in verse 19. Let every man be swift to hear slow to speak. Slow to wrath for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
And then looked at verse 21. Which you could say it you could bring it into the this Passages that we're looking at today, but or separate it. However, you want to see it, but it's one of those verses you can sandwich in between it could fit either way.
And that but he says therefore that kind of sets it apart. But he's speaking of the words where he spoke previously therefore What's the therefore the verse verse 24 the wrath of man does not produce the wrath of righteousness of God?
Therefore he tells us what to do. James is a practical Servant of God, isn't he. And the Holy Spirit gives us very practical words. But what is being said? He said therefore lay aside all filthiness and Overflow of wickedness and Receive with meekness the implanted word.
Which is able to save your soul, so he's talking about how we should receive the Word of God. It's it's really all about the Word of God. It's how we hear the Word of God. It's how we receive it. Today we're going to look at what does it produce and not only how we hear it, but what do we do with it?
We must take action. And that's what he's leading to we must be doers of the Word and not only hearers. Notice in verse 22 our text is verse 22 to 25 and As I've been speaking hear the Word of the Living God.
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 in verse 25 very important verse, but he who looks into the perfect law of Liberty as the Word of God and continues in it and Is not a forgetful here, but a doer of the work This one will be blessed in what he does Amen to The Word of God, let's pray father as have been prayed for before we need Your blessed Holy Spirit so much right now this moment father I would pray For this holy anointing this holy unction that only comes from you to be upon each and every one of us here today and How we take heed of how we hear father, I would pray that your Holy Spirit would not only give us ears to hear and a heart to perceive and a mind to understand but father help us to have that obedience That flows out of this Without obedience to your word Everything's going to be vain.
So Lord we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only Help us because if we're just hearing the word and not doing it and obeying it we deceive ourselves Lord I didn't say that you said it and this applies to all of us.
So Lord This is some very convicting words today that you give us and Lord I pray that as I speak these words Lord help me to speak it from love from your heart Lord to each and every one of us because Lord is supplies to all of us help us Lord to glorify you in our lives and Help us Lord Jesus and all that we do Not to be partially obedient, but to be fully obedient to your word and to your voice in order that we may Advance your kingdom in your power and your help For your glory and we ask this in Jesus name.
Amen and amen.
Well.
Really what he's speaking of here is How we can walk in the way of blessing and He closes with this in verse 25, and of course he continues it to the end of the chapter. We'll be looking later on Lord willing after the Easter celebration, but in verse 26 through 27 he gets very very specific of what pure religion is and what is undefiled before God and The father and he talks about visit the orphans and the widows and their trouble to keep oneself Unspotted from the world.
We must be separated. We must be sanctified and the church needs to be separated in a different people of God. We are a peculiar people. Amen we are a people that should be different from the world because we'll call it out from the world and God has separated us and Sanctified us for his glory and service, but we must be obedient to his word.
And this is what James is talking about. James is speaking about be doers of the word and not hearers only and if we don't we deceive ourselves and Technically he's writing to a vital period of time when many people That were turning from idols and serving the Living God, but there were many people in James's time That was going from service services That were absolutely untouched by what was said and even the Word of God and we talked about that how Jesus talked about the heart and how the word the seed fell on different types of soil and You can look at that in the parable of the soils.
But they did not realize it and they were deceived. They thought all was well. But they were deceiving themselves. How many times we still see this today in our day in the churches that we have people I will call sermon proof Christians That hear the Word of God and they understand the Word of God.
But they do not do anything about the Word of God. This is really what it comes down to we must be doers of the word and James says they were an An appalling condition really of a false peace and that's what he's saying.
They protest. Weren't they it was sitting under the probably the best ministry possible. Think about that. But they were absolutely orthodox in their faith and we could be orthodox in faith. You've seen it as well as I've seen it and we all need to take heed to ourselves.
They believe that the doctrines of the New Testament They did not go away shaking their heads in disagreement they agreed with the Word of God. Yet they went away.
Deceived.
Why?
Because they were not doers of the word and they were only hearing it. It's very important how we hear it. But in how we hear it we must have it must have the proper response to it. Now he talked about the proper reception.
But now he's talking about the proper response to it. And. Really if you look at the whole book of James This is where he goes. You'll see this in salvation that no, we're not saved by works, but he basically says faith.
Works.
Faith does not stand still. Faith is active now a lot of people get confused and I'm not preaching about this today. Let me just insert this as a kind of a footnote. Paul the Apostle Speaks about how we're saved by faith alone before God.
James has basically taken it if you are saved by faith alone before God It will be working faith before the eyes of men you see that. The way we can see that and see that it's not a contradiction because a lot of people thinks The word of James and Paul is contradicting contradicting themselves.
They're not. They actually complement each other. Because all Paul is talking about that were justified before God in his sight by faith alone and that is true. James is not contradicting Paul. He's saying actually the faith that you have is working faith.
It works it does something and we're about to read Lord willing. No, no, not next week. We'll because we'll probably read Something concerning the crucifixion next week because of Easter and then the resurrection but when we look later on in chapter 22 and.
Genesis.
We see Abraham. His faith is literally working, isn't it? He takes his son Isaac To to the mountain and Mount Moriah and he offers them up there. But his faith is working and that's what James is. That's all he's talking about.
He's really talking about this is a faith that works so the Apostle James speaks to our hearts on the manner of Deception notice in verse 22, but be doers and not hearers only deceiving yourselves. All he's saying here believers who hear the Word of God in verse 19.
And if you look at verse 19, he says so then my beloved brethren. Let every man be swift to hear slow to speak. Slow to wrath and what he's talking about is hearing be quick to hear God's Word we must receive it with a teachable spirit in verse 21 how we know this because verse 21 says therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow wickedness and receive with meekness.
The implanted Word which is able to save your souls. God's Word is able to save to the uttermost. Scripture says in Hebrews. Therefore applying it to our daily lives in our daily conduct and the way we Walk every day.
This is convicting because we all fail some way form of fashion now is because we fail does not mean we're not saved where it cannot be in and out of Salvation. You're a child of God. We fail we stumble we fall and the righteous man may fall seven times.
He gets himself up and he goes back to Christ. And what really matters is not the perfection as John MacArthur says, but it's the direction of his life. You see that's what counts and we know this by the Word of God that God has saved us.
So you can't be in and out of salvation and fallen from grace and all this. Actually, you're talking about falling for grace. There's a misconception there and people take that out of context. We can look at that later, but he's not talking about BAM.
You're out of heaven and you're not a child of God. It can't be once the Word of God is planted within your soul. You are a child of God forever. Yeah now the way you grow Could be different and sometimes when there's not growth God knows how to do some pruning and it's a clipping in and yesterday.
I was clipping some roses and I got Butchered up by thorns at times. It kind of reminded me of the curse. That's a ouch. Ouch. Ouch the pain the pain I said this is part of the curse this pain right here, but I was thinking Pruning's good and for those roses to flourish and to have more buds on it.
Those roses had to be pruned. Jesus talked about that. So it's very important in our growth and our walk and that's what James is talking about. This is he is a very practical Man of God and he's talking to two Christians.
This is the way you're to walk and We need me need to be very careful in how we apply this in our daily lives and be teachable and to hear. To hear God's Word and if we're not if we are hearing it and not to obey it is to deceive ourselves.
And that is serious. So we're looking at this and like I said If the steps on your toes brothers and sisters, it's already stepped on mine and it's still stepping on mine so if I'm pointing the finger in that direction, there's four more in my direction, so It's it's me included with you because this applies to our everyday walk with the Lord.
But be you doers of the Word. Obey in other words, don't be hearers only. Deceiving your own selves, you know think of it literally it means reasoning beside or alongside. That's what it means as in beside oneself this word was used math in mathematics to refer to a miscalculation.
Professing Christians who are content with only hearing God's Word. Have made a serious spiritual Miscalculation, that's what he's saying and if we move on to verse 23 notice what he says 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. Now think for a second what he's saying He's beholding his natural face in a glass in a mirror. The word beholding or a mirror can also be translated observing.
It's observing to behold is also to be observing a forceful Greek word, by the way meaning.
To.
Look carefully and Cautiously as opposed to taking a casual glance. Let me say that again It's a forceful Greek word meaning to look carefully into.
Very.
Cautiously as Opposed to taking just a casual glance. Takes a very close look. You know the first century mirrors were not Glass, but they were actually metallic made of bronze and silver or for the wealthy gold in that time period the metals were beaten flat and polished to a high gloss and The image they reflected was adequate, but not perfect.
You know Paul spoke about this in 1st Corinthians 13 12 for now we see in a mirror. You see that in the mirror. Dimly he's talking about the word of God the mirror of God's Word. But it's dim to us in a sense, but then face to face and I think because it's dim is because our depravity fogs it our sin our remaining sin even though we're saved and we're redeemed and.
We're children of the Living God and God has given us discernment and we understand so much from the Word of God by the Holy Spirit. Still there's things that are dim to us. There's things that we do not understand.
There are things that still cloud us.
Not until we get on to the other side until we will truly understand. I personally believe a lot of the questions we have now will be answered right when we enter into glory. Now, I don't believe we're going to worry about who's gonna wrote the book of Hebrews.
Or whether Adam had a bellybutton or not. I Think God's going to just take it all and he's going to and I Personally believe that all the tears he's gonna wipe from our eyes Will be the situations that we have with the conflicts we have with other children of God that we disagreed with and God's gonna I'm not saying that these folks that like we Separated from we're not saved God, but God's going to tip because they live in the same heaven, right?
And God's gonna God's gonna make it all straight. He's gonna clear it all up like a loving parent because he's all wise God. And there's gonna be tears in heaven, but then it says God's gonna wipe away all tears.
And there'll be eternal perfect bliss and you know I've been thinking about heaven a lot here and I've been thinking you know. A lot of people have questions about can the loved ones that's gone there before us.
Can they see everything that's going on? You know people ask those kind of questions. Well, absolutely not. How could it be heaven if they're looking down into this dump.
Script, you know, it's eternal bliss.
God they they're there they're at home in heaven their minds occupied with Jesus Christ. So it's it's it's they're not looking down and seeing our now God looks down. Yes, and God's eyes are holier than their eyes.
He's he's the God. He's the father of us all as children of the living God, but God it's amazing how. That's one that's one thing that really boggles my mind. Is that God is holy as he is and his eyes is as a holy as he is and even this.
And it says the moon and the stars are not even pure in his sight and he made them. They're very good and yet he looks upon this earth was such corruption. Why do you think judgments gonna come? Why do you think he burned up Sodom and Gomorrah because there was a purification in the fire.
Because our God's a consuming fire. But see it's God. But Paul said it. I now I know in part in part. But then I shall know just as I am known and everything will be cleared up. Well, James is talking for he beholds himself and goes away in verse 24 and Straightway he forgets what manner of man he was.
You know you think of it people that in his time were listening to the God's Word and they would I think of this. They would sing the Psalms. I Say I could say hymns to the spiritual songs as Paul said because Paul spoke of song Psalms.
Spiritual songs and hymns the early church sang it and I'm thinking they sung it wholeheartedly and they enjoyed their friends there as they met together and worshiped the Lord, but If they did not obey What was said and only heard it they went away deceived.
Beloved this is a warning to all of us. There would be people and let me say this with a heavy heart. There will be people in a lost in eternity in eternity and held even today and for all eternity who have heard some of the greatest messages and preaching ever heard.
And were stirred by it and even touched by it. If their souls were lost forever because they did not obey the Word of God. What shall the end be. Peter says to them that who what obey not the gospel of God.
That's what Peter said. We must make sure that we obey it. So we need to ask questions like can I be deceiving myself. While I listen week after week to the Word of the Living God if I do not obey it.
What a searching question. It probes my heart. Lord if I if I leave here and go out there and walk in my with my wife and my children and my grandchildren and my job and and who I am before God and God sees before the face of God and if I'm living a double life.
And another life as I am not here. I'm a hypocrite. I'm deceived. How can I tell if I'm being deceived. Well James I really have only two points today. This is my first point. You can write this down if you like.
I Would recommend if you do because we can be forgetful hearers. How many times we hear sermons and we forget but it's just not my sermon. It's the Word of God. So the Word of God comes from other servants, right?
And we just need to make sure what we do here is sound in the faith number one. When you and I are merely just listening to the word which is important, but not doing the word. That's how we can deceive ourselves.
Did you hear me very closely again when we're just only listening only. Listening and not obeying it. That's one form of deception. You see listening closely to the Word of God and hearing God's Word.
Coupled with obeying it is what pleases God and by the way, let me say this not only pleases God. We look in verse 25. This one will be blessed in what he does. You see that so this is the way of blessing and you see this in the Old Testament.
That there was only two ways that you were blessed or cursed those that Kurt that were cursed. Before God there were those who did not obey God's Word, but those who obeyed God's Word were blessed. No middle ground.
So other with will obeying God's Word or we're disobeying God's Word, you know. That's one thing I love about the Word of God and you'll hear me say this it's black and white. It's crystal clear. There are countless people by the scores who really think that they're saved but are lost as can be because of this.
They have a knowledge of the Word of God.
Scripture.
Talks about this are forever learning But never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Millions today on this planet earth hear good sermons who thinks that they have a relationship with God merely because they got out of their houses and went to a church and Sat under the Word of God and they watched and heard the preacher and they sang the hymns and they listened to everything.
That's as exactly as as far as they went. There is nothing wrong with sitting and listening to the Word of God. Amen. And matter of fact, we need it. In fact, I want to encourage Everyone to continue to listen to God's Word whether here or outside.
Soak it up meditate on it. It's good to be here this Lord's Day with you. To hear God's Word because Hebrews 10 25 says not forsaking to assembling ourselves together as the manner of some is in that time.
Exhorting one another and we need to do that and So much the more I like that word even more. So do it more and more. That's what he's saying as you see the day approaching and that day is the day of judgment.
Amen. So Really? It's a means of grace. To hear God's Word. Now what I'm talking about, I believe what James is talking about as people who hear that means a grace. They taste the Word of God as spoken in Hebrews.
And that's why the writer of Hebrews gives very strong warning that when you hear God's Word. You don't trample the Word of God underfoot. You obey it. You don't go away unbelieving. Because that's a very serious warning and there's a very serious judgment but it's a very important on this Lord's Day and on every Lord's Day the market day of our souls to feed ourselves the Word of God and It's very important to listen to Word of God.
But what is wrong and base in our hopes of heaven of this fact is we must remember the Lord Jesus. Even preaching the Sermon on the Mount and I talked about this last week and ending with the parable of the two builders.
What he he drew a parallel and I'm going to paraphrase this one man hears everything that Jesus says right, but he does nothing about it and Our Lord says that he is like a man who builds his house on sinking sand.
This is very great. And this is the way he concluded the greatest sermon ever preached. It's a fine house. It's indistinguishable. Indistinguishable and for many other from other houses but there's no indication if you notice it lacks a foundation and That is everything that Jesus is saying and that foundation must be founded on the rock and we know who that rock is.
Is the Lord Jesus Christ and I'm telling you what if everything that we believe is not founded on Jesus Christ. It will sink. It must be founded on Jesus Christ, there's no other foundation that a man can lay.
It is only when the storm comes if you notice in that parable that the whole house Collapses and this was a man who had the name of the disciple who sat on the Mount of Olives and Jesus taught and heard Jesus preached that sermon, but that is all he did.
He wasn't moved. He wasn't convicted. He did not obey. He didn't repent. He did not entrust he didn't entrust himself into the safekeeping and holy relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ. How crucial this is.
The whole.
Foundation of that house of his safety was that he been there on the Mount listening to Jesus. And you know something. You and I meet people who want to tell you about some important event and they say I was there.
It was great it was brilliant. I met a man like this years ago boasted and bragged.
He.
Talked about certain events that he when Mount Rushmore or something exploded I was there on a jet and I saw it all. And this same person went to us a service one night and the and the and the president of the Christian Missionary Alliance Preached a message on Jesus Christ the hope of glory Christ in you and it was such a Christ centered Message and I left there just just melted in my heart.
Thanking God. Oh that we needed Jesus Christ and we need to see him in Christ only. Oh that we would see Jesus. And the next thing I knew he was saying elf words. And I said, how can you? Leave a service like that and Start talking that filth out of your heart.
And by the time I Rebuked him by the time the rebuke was over. He was apologizing. I said I you need to do more than apologize friend. You need to repent before God because I'm not the one that you got to answer to.
It's God. You need to go to God. Because you sinned against him and I was his pastor. Such disrespect no fear of God. Not that I'm someone but you know just to know that in the name of God. That's really what was trampled underfoot.
You know people have a delight of being spectators. That's what I'm talking about. When in history was made Christ is saying all that that might be very interesting and be listeners and spectators at Christian Services is.
The worst.
Foundation for heaven, you know, God doesn't want spectators. He wants participators and that's what James is talking about. James is talking about you got to be involved. You've got to be part of this and you got to be doers of the Word of God.
So one day there will be the greatest of all storms hit us all. Which will ever meet? When we walk through this valley of the shadow of death as David spoke of by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 23. And God's Word says in Hebrews 9 20 sin as it is appointed unto men wants to die.
That's an interesting word and appointed. For man wants to die. God has an appointment day for each and every one of us. He knows today. I think about this quite often. You know He knows the exact day in the hour and the time when I'm going to pass out of this world into eternity.
Just as light as he knew the day and time I was born and the year He's got it all appointed. But after this the Bible says the judgment. What's important? Are you ready? Are you prepared? Are you dressed in the righteousness of Jesus?
Do you have mercy with your God? We will stand in that great day of the Lord. Will we have a solid foundation? That's what he's talking about or will we all of our lives be built on sinking sand. One of the two is gonna happen.
That's what Jesus how he concluded that and James is I really personally believe James is pulling from that. About being doers of the word and not hearers only. Deceiving yourselves. I really believe in his mind.
He was thinking about the conclusion as Jesus drew on the Sermon on the Mount. How important. Oh how important this is. It's not Christianity. It's not Christianity to plead before Almighty God. That you and I were in a certain atmosphere or a place and saw and tasted remarkable things.
You know, let me you know, think about this remember remember. There was a time when the Israelites thought that they were merely to be in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. That was bound to put them on the winning side.
Hey, we're following the Ark of the Covenant. That's the presence of God. Yeah, that's important. Yes, it is. But did that put their feet in heaven and they thought and think about this and and and what what happened this this this Ark of the Covenant was bound to.
They thought to put them on the winning side. So they carried the Ark into battle. You know where I'm going with this, but they were soundly defeated by the Philistines.
The Ark was taken as Plundered by their enemies and put into the temple of Dagon their God. What happened. The Israelites were rebels against God. Refusing to what. Listen and obey the Word of God. That's what happened.
They were doing what was right in their own eyes. But they thought that they were caring about a religious emblem in a sense. Would bring some kind of good luck to them. I really believe they thought that.
Because oh we have the Ark of the Covenant. We're the presence of God but they were disobedient and Look what God allowed to happen in his sovereign providence. Is it not Christian and Christianity the same way?
There's very little differences between that and Based in our hopes on eternal life and being us in a certain church or hearing a certain sermon or hearing Christian radio. All of that does not make a person a Christian.
Even being on time Sunday now Sunday morning Sunday night and so forth and being on time is very important. And I'm not saying there's not a part that all that plays. But what I'm saying is we don't need to get the cart before the horse.
It's where your heart is. What is what James is saying. Mere listening to the words is true very important. But just listening to the words Never saves anyone or never will or did it not save Judas? There's another example we can look at.
Don't you let's look at Judas for a minute. He heard the greatest preacher ever ever preached. He heard the greatest teacher ever teach. He saw the greatest miracles that was ever performed. He read the menu of the bread of life, but he never ate of the living bread himself.
He had it in his very hands as it were and rejoiced that it was so accessible to him. But he never ate the body and drank the blood of the Son of God and was in union with Jesus Christ. He was a pretender.
He was a hypocrite and Jesus knew it the whole time. He was a disciple. But he was a professing disciple being present at the means of The grace is not the sum of the Christian duty. You see never being sat being satisfied with that.
We must yield and surrender our hearts and our will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Okay, that's my first point. My second point is this how can we Be aware that we're not being deceived again. That's what we're trying to answer here because deception Is a serious thing it's people thinking there's you look at all the people that's deceived today even in the churches.
They think they're right. But they're completely wrong. I Know people like this, too. And I don't want to go in detail about this and it's called specific names but there's a group of people today and you see in more and more of this and In antinomian ism and they they think they're right because they know grace.
But what's happening? They're deceived and they know nothing of holiness. They think that they can get by sinning in the name of grace and call it grace. In other words, this word of God calls it the sweet bitter and bittersweet.
They're deceived. So many people that I know today just because see they have a they have a false Conception of the gospel and the reason they have a false conception of the gospel is because they have a false conception of God.
The only way we can have a right concept of God is know this book inside and out. Because this is his will this is his mind this is his every this is if this is God God's Word and that's why it's important.
We be about truth. Truth is truth is everything. So we got to know the truth, right? Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. So we so our my second point is you immediately forget the word?
When we immediately forget the word of God That's how we can be deceived so we need not to be forgetful in this so the Apostle James gives us this unforgettable picture of a person who Glances his face in a mirror, right a glass a reflection.
He sees himself. He goes away and immediately and deliberately forgets. You notice how many times that word the Word of God talks about remember?
Remember.
Don't forget.
The Lord's Supper do this in remembrance of me.
It's a covenant word.
It's a word that has.
Power to it. We do not need to deliberately forget how we look like. There has to be self-examination. What is he saying? He's saying hmm. Is it so ordinary that I don't need to think about that. Is he saying hmm, what a beauty.
What is he saying, but. But why bother to look in the mirror if we're going to not going to act upon what we see. Do you think we're unfixable or do we think was so perfect that we can't be bettered. What if there were smudges to be cleaned up.
You look in the mirror. And I got a dirty face. Am I going to do something about it? There may be blemishes on our beauty, but isn't it worth knowing about it? How can we know about it? You see what I'm going.
You've been sleeping all night. Your hair is all scraggled. Hasn't been calm. You get up and you look at yourself in the mirror. Oh, what a sigh. You first get up and you look at yourself. I said I need that cup of coffee.
I Need to get awake. I'm stumbling. I look terrible when I see myself in the mirror. That need not be vanity beloved but immediately and deliberately forgetting. What you see helps no one at all if we forget it.
James is talking about the man who hears the Word of God. He hears it. And he does nothing about it. You see that's the purpose of the Word of God and listening and receiving the Word of God is to do something about it.
Part of really true preaching is opening a window of heaven to see God for who he is and to see us for who we are and Holding up the mirror of God's Word before us and revealing to us who we really are.
Isn't that what the Word of God says. Take it's the perfect law of Liberty. That's what he says, but he who looks into the perfect law of Liberty. And notice what he says and continues in it. That's perseverance of the Saints.
He continues. Jesus said that he said if you continue in my word, you are my disciples. You know, I didn't say that. Jesus said it you must continue. Well, they take a look at themselves and we don't like what we see and think of people walk away.
One of my favorite writers is Jeff Thomas. Jeff Thomas. He's a great expository preacher. He told a story of a minister. I like to give this and I wrote it down in the town of a preacher. I'm sorry a town who preaches the gospel and he was talking to one of his members of the who occasionally hears him.
Quote.
Quote. This is what he said. I meet your minister in a prayer meeting Jeff Thomas says. And oh. If you want to be depressed go in here. This member said to pastor Jeff dismissing the preacher. He had the mirror of the word lifted up to him.
He could see that he was sinful. His face was dirty and Then he went away deliberately and forgot what sort of person he was. And he did nothing about it. It was shown to him about himself and then he goes on and he looked in the mirror.
But it was useless. There was no change that was affected. There was no repentance. He walks away. And he avoided the problem. That's sad. But you don't you think of this. I like what Luther said. Luther says When I truly see myself, I cannot see how I can be saved.
But when I truly see Christ, I cannot see how I can be lost. You see we must take a deep glance of ourselves, but we must take a thousand glances of Christ to look in the mirror.
You see.
Will be useless unless there is change. There has to be repentance there has to be something done about it. Jay Adams says this the consequence of is that he dulls his conscience doing this again and again.
Talking about forgetting who what he hears after hearing the word and reading God's will and Scriptures eventually makes it possible for him to convince himself that he is. All right after all. Thus the inner process of deceiving oneself takes place.
He builds from himself a different picture of life than others have and he goes on to say and Especially and a different picture of his heart his inner person then God has. That comes from a thirst of wholeness.
I'm gonna try to conclude this. There's another reaction possible that is destroying the mirror, of course. We can destroy the mirror and throw it down and and crush it to pieces in anger. But that would not suffice.
There's a story when the first missionary was working in a certain area the wife of a chief came to the Mission station and the missionary had hung a mirror up on a tree outside of his home and the woman happened to glance into it.
She had never properly seen the tattoos on her Hardened features and glancing at the mirror. She was shocked at what she saw. Who is that horrible person inside that tree?
This is.
No one there. There's no one there said the missionary. A Mirror is reflecting on your face. She walked up to the mirror and looked behind it and even took it down and glazed along. Along of herself. I must have this she said the mission missionary said.
Missionary did not want to part with it, of course, but the chief's wife was insistent. What is your price? She said? She finally succumbed to her demand and she took the mirror. She walked to a border.
And I'm sorry a boulder and brought the mirror down on it hard and smashing it again and again to pieces. I Would never have that making faces at me again. She was destroying it. She said she didn't understand this.
You people deliberately forgot what they have seen in that perfect law of Liberty for exactly the same reason. So true, isn't it? The Word of God shows us ourselves very starkly very clearly and They do not like what they see.
And they don't do anything about it. There's people like that it's important that when we do see and we see the ugliness and The purpose of the law is to help us to see our dirtiness and our filthiness and to do something about it.
No, somebody had told me don't read no Puritans to me it discourages me. But you know something that Discouragement of your soul can help you flee to Christ for your answer. See some will to seek to destroy the word and not want nothing of and in part from it.
The spirit of this man who boldly holds the mirror before them. Others will find a distorting mirror, which will flatter them. There are many of those in religious circles. But the other James is telling us will develop a pattern of attendance and services in which they deliberately forget.
And they will have heard in one ear and out the other my my. We need to do something about it. Well, what can we do about it? My time's about up, but I got I think I got a proper place to go. There's so many words I'm gonna have to skip some of this but There is something that I believe is important an application to this would be to be blessed from the Word of God as in verse 25 says he who looks into the perfect law of Liberty and continues in it and Not a forgetful here, but a doer of the work.
This one will be blessed in his and what he does. So to be blessed in what we do. We must be doers of the word and the word of the Word of God to be obedient to the Word of God. And I could not help but think about that one powerful verse to obey is better than sacrifice.
What what did this come out of? Let's go with me to 1st Samuel 15, you know the story. We're talking about Saul. And this is a very very important message and I've heard John MacArthur preach. Oh, if you never heard it a wonderful sanctification message and one of the best I've ever heard on hacking a gag to pieces.
Comes out of this chapter. But you think of this? What we quote to obey is better than sacrifice. But what in what setting is taking place here. Yeah, we got to understand the setting and to understand where we're going with this.
Look at verse 10 on chapter 15 of 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel Chapter 15 and I want to just read this and I'm gonna comment afterwards but get the Word of God here. Notice in verse 10 now the Word of the Lord came to Samuel the prophet saying I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as.
King.
For he has turned back from following me And has not performed my commandments. You notice that that's key. He did not fully obey God. That's what he's saying. He did not perform my commandments and it grieved Samuel and he cried out to the Lord all night.
So when Samuel rose rose early in the morning to meet Saul it was told Samuel saying. Saul went to Carmel and Indeed, he set up a monument for himself. There's a problem right there. He was full of pride.
And he has gone on around passed by gone down to Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Saul and Saul said to him. Blessed are you of the Lord? I have performed the commandment of the Lord. Well, there's something wrong.
Notice he's boasting but Samuel said. What then is this? Bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear. Something was wrong. Verse 15. Saul said. They have brought them from the Amlekites and for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen.
The sacrifice the Lord your God knows it's on a sacrifice now. Nice sacrifice and and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Oh. He thought he did right in his own eyes folks. You see this verse 16. Then Samuel said to Saul be quiet.
That's.
What the man of God says. Be quiet. I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.
In other words.
You better be quiet right now. You're gonna hear what God says. And he said to him speak on. So Samuel said When you were a little in your own eyes You were not head of the tribes of Israel. Good question.
And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel. And Now the Lord sent you on a mission on a mission and said go and utterly destroy sinners Amlekites and fight against them until they are consumed. Why then did you not obey the voice of God of the Lord.
You can underline that one.
Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord. Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, but I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and Gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me and brought back a gag of king of Amlekite Amalek I'm sorry and have utterly destroyed the Amlekites.
But the people took of The plunder sheep and oxen and best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. So Samuel said Has the Lord has great delight and burnt offerings and sacrifice as an obey in the voice of the Lord.
So we got a debate going on here, but I can assure you the man of God's gonna win it.
Behold.
This is the setting to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams. And listen what he says and there's a reason he says this in verse 23 for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Rebellion and you can assure of that because look at what it turned archangel into and the stubbornness.
Stubbornness is as a nickel D and idolatry. Wow boy, that's strong. Rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft stubbornness is an iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord. He also has rejected you from being king.
In other words, you're disqualified right now. And then Saul said to Samuel I have sinned. For I transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
Now therefore, please pardon my sin return with me that I may worship the Lord. Oh, he's not really repented. You ever heard people say? Oh, I'm sorry, and they continue to do the same thing. No repentance.
This is a sound that's a Saul. But Samuel said to Saul I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king. Basically what he says it's over friend you're disqualified and as Samuel turned around and to go away Saul sees the edge of the rope of his robe and tore it so Samuel said to him the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel and from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you and.
Also the strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For he is not a man that he should relent and then he said I have sinned yet. Honor me now, please before the elders of my people and before Israel return with me that I may worship the Lord your God.
See, he's wanting what he wants. He's lifted up in pride.
He sees things the way he sees it.
So Samuel turned back after Saul and Saul worshiped the Lord. And then Samuel said bring a gag the king of Amalekites here to me. So a gag came to him cautiously and you know the reason why Saul held back a gag.
He was like a trophy. Because Saul wanted to brag and both see what such a great king. I am here's my trophy. But God said you wipe them all out. He partially obeyed God. It's not enough for us to partially obey God.
We must fully obey the Lord. And Samuel said bring a gag king of Amalekites here to me. So a guy came to him cautiously. Yeah, gag says surely the bitterness of the dead this past. Hmm, but Samuel said as your sword has made women childless so shall your mother be childless among women.
And Samuel hacked a gag and pieces before the Lord in Gilgov. Hmm see Samuel was being fully obedient to God. What a message this is beloved. Then Samuel went to Rama and Saul went up to his house at Gilbreth of Saul and Samuel went no more.
To see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned Over. Saul say he felt bad about it. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. You see the whole sum of that is Saul was lifted up in pride.
He partially obeyed. He did not fully obey the Lord Beloved the message to us. We must be fully obedient to the Word of the Lord. Got a quote from Matthew Henry about this text and 22 and through 25. This is what Matthew Henry says if we heard a sermon every day of the week and an angel from heaven were the preacher.
Yet if we rested in hearing only it would never bring us to heaven. Mere hearers are deceit self deceivers and Self-deceit will be found the worst deceit at last if we flatter ourselves. It is our own fault the truth as it is in Jesus flatters.
No man. Let the word of truth be carefully attended to and it was set Before us the corruption of our nature the disorders of our hearts and lives and it would tell us plainly What we are. Our sins are the spots the law discovers.
Christ is blood is the labor the gospel shows but in vain do we hear God's Word and Look into the gospel glass. If we go away and forget our spots instead of washing them off and Forget our rent and forget our remedy instead of applying to it this is The case with those who do do not hear the word as they ought in Hearing the word we look into it for counsel and direction and when we study it it turns to our spiritual life.
Those who keep in the law and the Word of God are shall be blessed in all their ways. His gracious recompense afterward would be connected with his present peace and comfort. Every part a divine revelation has its use in bringing the sinner to Christ for salvation in Directing and encouraging him to walk at Liberty by the spirit of adoption.
According to the holy commands of God and Mark the distinctness it is not for his deeds. I'm sorry. Is it not for his deeds? that any man is Blessed but in his deed it is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven.
Christ will become more precious to the believers soul by which his grace Will become more fitted for the inheritance of the st. Saints in light in quote. Let's pray father. We thank you Lord for this word.
It's a strong word to us Lord as much conviction in this because so many times We have forgotten your word. But Lord help us by your Holy Spirit. To never forget your word, but to obey for obedience is better than sacrifice.
Help us not to be partially obedient, but Lord to fully please you and all that you say. Because to love you is to obey you. To obey you is to love you as Jesus your Lord as Jesus our Lord your son says if you love me You will keep my commandments.
Lord if we love him.
We will keep his commandments. And Lord, we know we had the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do this. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit That gives us the ability then enabling. You have not left us as orphans, but you've given us your Holy Spirit.
You have given us the person of the Holy Spirit to help us obey. But our obedience must not be partial it must be fully. We thank you father for your Holy Word. Help us not to be a forgetful hearer and deceiving ourselves But be blessed and being a doer of the work.
We ask this in Jesus name amen and amen.