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How to be Blessed by the Bible

Sermon Series

How to Face Our Future! – Part 5

"How to be Blessed by the Bible"

Pastor Jerry

James 1:19-25

 

------------------------------------- Message Synopsis -------------------------------------

How many of you own a Bible? In America, Bibles are everywhere. You can find them in grocery stores, bookstores, hospitals, motel rooms, everywhere. They're available in all sizes, shapes and translations. Last year there were 500 million Bibles published in the world in 18,000 different languages. In America we are presented with the word of God on airways, radio, TV, books, magazines. Yet …millions of people in our own country still miss the blessing of the Bible. Why? Because it's not automatic. Just because you have a Bible doesn't mean you're going to get the benefit from it. James, being his practical self, gives us three steps on how to be blessed by the Bible. 25 is the key verse, "The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does." The Bible is called the perfect law because it's exactly what I need. It promises freedom and it promises blessing. James gives us three steps to be blessed: I. I MUST RECEIVE GOD'S WORD (v 21) "Accept the word planted in you." If we're going to be blessed by the word of God, first we must welcome the word into our lives. We must be receptive. James gives an illustration. He says it's planted in you. The Bible, all through Scripture, compares itself to seed. Jesus told the parable of the sower and said, “The word of God is a seed and it's planted in our hearts.” How is it that you can take two people and put them in the same worship service, with the same message, and one person gets blessed by it and the other person says he didn't get anything out of it. One heart was prepared and one wasn't. James says we must receive the word of God with the right attitude. James gives us four attitudes you need -- to be blessed by God's word.
  1. Be careful. v. 19 "Be quick to listen..." Give it your full attention. Be alert. Don't miss it. "... slow to speak ..." Many of us don’t hear God speaking because we're quick to speak rather than being quick to listen. Be ready to receive God's word. Be careful.
  1. Be calm. Be calm if you're going to receive God's word and be blessed by it. v. 19b "... and slow to become angry ..." A relaxed attitude increases receptivity. Bitterness is a barrier, an emotional block that keeps us from hearing God's word. What is your emotional state, normally, when you come to church on Sunday morning? In many homes on Sunday morning it's kind of hectic. Come prepared! You need to be calm.
  1. Be clean. v. 21 "Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent..." The word "filth" that James says you've got to get rid of is actually the Greek word that means "earwax". When you have a sin in your life it blocks your hearing. It prevents God's word from getting into your heart. How can we be clean? By confession. 
  1. Be compliant. Teachable, yielded, humble, willing to be changed. He says "humbly accept the word of God planted in you..." Don't act like you know it all. If you know it all, God's word can't get through to you. Pray, "God, do what You need to do in my life."
God says if you want to be blessed, first you have to receive it. Reception is first but it is not enough. James says we not only need to receive the word of God, but... II. I MUST REFLECT ON THE WORD OF GOD (V. 23) "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself immediately goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James uses an illustration here. God's word is like a mirror. The purpose of a mirror is to evaluate us. We look in a mirror to see what’s wrong with our looks. Then we do something about it. A mirror reflects what we're like on the outside. God's word reflects what we're like on the inside. Have you ever seen yourself in the Bible? Hebrews says, "God's word detects the thoughts, intents, motives and desires of the heart." Have you looked lately in the mirror of God's word? James gives us three practical ways to reflect on the word of God,
  1. Read it.
(v. 25a) "the man who looks intently into the perfect law". He's actually talking more about research that he is reading. Investigating. Focus your attention on the word of God. You can’t just give God five minutes in devotions. God says that He wants us to gaze at the word. Look at it intently in detail. James says we need to receive the word of God and then reflect on it, first by reading it and second by reviewing it.
  1. Review it
(v. 25b) "...and continues to do so..." That means over and over and over. The Bible calls this meditation. When you think about something over and over, it’s meditation. The Bible says, “Meditate on God's word”. Jesus said, "...if you continue in My word, then you're truly My disciples." Read it and review it. James says, “You want to be blessed? Reflect on the word. Think about it by reading it and further by reviewing it.”
  1. Remembering it.
(v. 25c) "... not forgetting what he has heard." Nothing will benefit your personal spiritual life more than developing the habit of remembering Scripture. "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." Remember God's word if you want to be blessed by it. We remember what's important to us. James says, “Receive God's word with the right attitude, reflect on God's word by reading it, review God’s Word, by remembering it.” But even that's not enough. III.    I MUST RESPOND TO THE WORD OF GOD I must do something about it, act on it, live it, practice it. vs. 22 "Do not merely listen to what the word says and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Practice. What good is a mirror if you look at it and don't do anything about it? Many come to church, hear the word of God, walk out with no intention of ever being changed. We must respond to God's word, let it change us if we're going to be blessed by it. A lot of people have great Bible knowledge but they are spiritual weaklings. The key is to practice it, apply it, put it in my life. And James said, "To him who knows to do good and doesn't do it, it's sin." Illustration: Let's say you folks as a church decide to get concerned about your pastor's health -- so you take up an offering and buy me a gift: Arnold Schwartzeneger's Bodybuilding Book. You say, “this book can change your life. It's fantastic. I say, "Great!" I go away for a while and then come back and I'm the same guy. You say, "What happened? Didn't you read the book?" Oh yes, "I read the book. I enjoyed it. Every night I would spend a couple hours studying it." I did everything except exercise. How often do we do that with the word of God? I read but don’t apply! I deceived myself in thinking that because I had knowledge that I would be mature. Having knowledge of a bodybuilding book doesn't produce muscles. James would say, "They are hearers but not doers." What James is saying, “If you want to be blessed, you've got to live the word of God, not just hear it. Not just know it.”  The best translation of Scripture is when you translate it into your life and let it change you. Be a doer of the word. James is saying that the blessing of the Bible comes when we start living it.  Pray. Confess your sins. Love God. Love one another. Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus!
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