James 1:22-25: Faith To Obey

About This Expository Sermon Outline

One of the biggest challenges for every Christian can be summed up in one
word: Obedience.

It's easy to live in a fantasy world where you have all the trappings of
Christianity, and on the outside everything seems to be okay. But how
important is obedience in God's economy?

In this Expository Sermon Outline entitled Faith To Obey, we look at James

1:22-25 and discover important principles that explain how important
obedience really is.

Faith To Obey

James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is
like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes
himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25)
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.

1. It's all about obedience

It's not enough to hear God's Word; hearing is not obeying.

In our previous message, we learned how important it is to be able to hear

God speak.

But God expects us to take the next step and to obey God's Word.

In fact, James says that the person who hears God's Word but doesn't put it
into practice, deceives himself.

The person who knows that it's wrong to get drunk but does it anyway, is a
victim of self-deception.

The person who knows that it's wrong to commit adultery but does it
anyway, is a victim of self-deception.
Let me illustrate how foolish it is to be self-deceived.

ILLUS - Many of you have heard of John Dillinger. He was a notorious

American bank robber in the 1930s. His life was a waste of intelligence,
because he was actually a very smart man. One time, he and his men went
into a bank pretending to be part of a film company looking for a place to
shoot a bank robbery scene in a movie. The people stood by and watched
and smiled as Dillinger and his men actually robbed the bank.

That's deception.

ILLUS - Imagine this though: Dillinger and his men have just robbed a bank.
And they've done it by using their film company trick. They are sitting
around in their hideout, laughing about the whole thing, wondering how long
it took the onlookers to figure out that it was a real robbery, and one of
Dillinger's men says, "Hey, John." "Yeah," says Dillinger. "That bank we just
robbed..." "Yeah, what about it?" "Don't you own it?" And Dillinger suddenly
realises that he just robbed his own bank, and says, "Oh, man! I can't
believe I just robbed my own bank."

That's self-deception.

That's why it's been said, "If you deceive somebody else you are wicked but
smart; if you deceive yourself you are wicked but stupid."

The person who deceives himself is a goose, and that's exactly how it is for a
person who hears God's Word but doesn't do it.

ILLUS - Imagine what the devil is thinking when God's people deceive
themselves. He just calls over his henchmen and says, "Hey, take a look at
this. They're doing my job for me!"

2. Hearing the Word is like looking in a mirror

James 1:23-24 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.

Let's ask ourselves a question here: What's the purpose of a mirror?

The purpose of a mirror is self-examination; you can see the flaws, and
hopefully fix them.
ILLUS - So imagine a guy who wakes up one morning. He jumps out of bed,
goes to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He looks in the
mirror and says, "Yech!" His hair is a mess, his eyes are bloodshot, he's
unshaven, eyebrows need a trim, pimples. He squints at himself and says,
"I'll fix it after breakfast." He goes into the kitchen, gets his breakfast, and
reads the newspaper. But he gets so absorbed in the newspaper that he
forgets the time. Suddenly, he realises that he's late for work. He runs into
the bedroom, gets dressed, and he's out the door. And he forgets about
what he saw in the mirror.

James says that's what the person is like who looks into God's Word, sees
what they need to do, and then does nothing about it.

ILLUS - It's like you hear a sermon or read God's Word and you think, "I
must do something about that." But then you get home and life just gets
busy. You've got things to do, people to see, places to go. And you just
forget.

3. The perfect law of liberty

James 1:25 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.

What is the perfect law of liberty?

Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

James is still talking about God's Word; God's Word is perfect.

But why does he call God's Word the law of liberty?

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide
in My word, you are My disciples indeed. (32) And you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."

The Word of God has the power to set you free.

You can be free from bondage, sin, fear, addictions, guilt.

ILLUS - Once upon a time there was a little bird. He wasn't an ordinary little
bird. He was a spine-tailed swift; spine-tailed swifts have been clocked flying
at 171kph. One day, he thought, "I'll be the best flyer in the country." So he
practised, and exercised, and did special bird exercises. And he got faster,
and faster, and faster. But he wasn't satisfied, he wanted to go even faster.
He wanted to be the fastest bird in the world. So he pondered the problem
and came to a conclusion. He thought, "I know what's wrong. I'm too heavy.
I need to get rid of some extra weight." He wasn't fat, and wondered what
he could do. Suddenly, he realised he could be a whole lot lighter if he got
rid of his feathers. So he did. And guess what? Then he couldn't fly at all.

Sometimes people think, "All these constraints on my life! God says, 'Do
this, do that, don't do this, don't do that. It's just weighing me down.'"

But God wants us to fly; and if you start shaking off God's requirements,
you'll never fly.

But obedience to God's Word sets us free to be what God wants us to be.

Christ takes our heavy burden and replaces it with His yoke - we need
Christ's yoke. His commandments are not a hindrance, but our freedom.

4. Looking into the Word

James talks about the person "who looks into" the law of liberty.

That phrase "looks into" literally means "stoops down".

What a strange thing to say!

Why would he use an expression like that?

Here's an illustration to help you understand what this means.

ILLUS - You're taking a nice leisurely walk one day. And a flash of colour on
the ground catches your eye. You look down and notice that the colour is
moving. And you think to yourself, "I've got to take a closer look at that." So
you stoop down to examine it, and you realise that it's some kind of insect.
And you give it much closer attention.

This isn't just a casual look where you say, "Interesting", and walk on.

You're giving it your full attention and taking a good long look.

That's what this phrase means.

It's more than just a casual reading of the Bible; it's something that has
caught your attention, and you stop to let it sink in.
You let it absorb your mind.

This is all about placing a high value on God's Word.

5. Continuing in the Word

James 1:25 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.

James contrasts the person who is a forgetful hearer of the word, with the
person who continues in it.

What he's doing is repeating a thought that he introduced in vs. 22.

He said, "But be doers of the word".

In English, that word "be" is easy to pass over, but in Greek, there's a lot
more information.

This word is in the continuous sense, so that it means "keep on being" 1 a

doer of the word.

It's not enough to dabble here and there in obeying God's Word.

It has to be a lifestyle, and that's why James says to continue in it.

I've heard far too many people over the years say, "But I tried that and it
didn't work."

People even say that about Jesus: "I tried Jesus and it didn't work."

Like Jesus is some kind of recipe you try out to see if you like it!

God doesn't want us just to dabble in His Word; He's looking for
commitment.

And there's something special for that kind of person.

6. Blessing

James 1:25 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.
What person does the blessing come to? The one who continues in the word.

So does this mean that we earn God's blessing through our obedience, or
does it come by grace?

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The blessing is already ours through grace, but there's something we need
to understand.

Mat 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (14)
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are few who find it.

There are two roads; one leads to destruction, and the other one leads to
life.

The one that leads to life is the road with blessing, and the one that leads to
destruction is the road without blessing.

You can't earn God's blessing, but you do have to make sure you're on the
right road.

ILLUS - So think about this: You've decided to follow Jesus; you're on the
road to life. This road is difficult. It can be tough going. And you look over to
your left and see this beautiful, broad highway. There aren't many people on
your road, but there are lots of people on that road. And they are having so
much fun. Life seems to be so easy for them. And you think to yourself,
"Man, I've had enough of this. This is too hard. I want to try what they are
doing for a change." So you climb over the hedge and start travelling with all
those other people.

But what you've done is you've just changed roads.

You're no longer on the road to life where the blessing is; now you're on the
road to destruction, and that's not where the blessing is.

We're not talking about a person who's on the difficult road to life, trips
over, gets up again, and keeps walking.

They know they did the wrong thing, but they get back up, and keep walking
down that road.
But what we're talking about is the person who has changed direction.

It's not a slip-up; it's a conscious choice that they want to travel down a
certain path, a path that God doesn't want for them.

If you want the blessing of God on your life, you have to be walking down
the path of blessing.

God is looking for an obedient people.

He's looking for people who have real faith, the kind of faith that brings
obedience.
Summary List Of The Commandments Of Jesus
I. The Universal Moral Law
A. The Law Of Love
"First, love God your Creator more than anything
else. Then, love all other people the same as you
love yourself."

B. The Ten Commandments

1. "Do not put anything ahead of God your Creator."
2. "Do not make or worship idols."
3. "Do not take the name of God in vain."
4. "Take one day of complete rest each week, in honor of God."
5. "Honor your father and your mother."
6. "Do not commit murder."
7. "Do not commit adultery."
8. "Do not steal."
9. "Do not tell lies against anyone."
10. "Do not covet other people's possessions."
C. The Golden Rule
"Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Traeted."
II. The Other Commandments Of Jesus
1. "FORGIVE EVERYBODY OF ALL THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST YOU."
(Forgive, and be forgiven.)
2. "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN."
3. "ABIDE IN ME, AND LET ME ABIDE IN YOU."
4. "LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS." (Do not hide your light
under a basket.)
5. "END DISPUTES QUICKLY."
6. "WHATEVER CAUSES YOU TO SIN, GET RID OF IT."
7. "DO NOT SWEAR OATHS AT ALL."
8. "DO NOT RETURN OFFENSE FOR OFFENSE." (Turn the other cheek.)
9. "GIVE WHAT PEOPLE ASK OF YOU, AND GIVE MORE THAN IS REQUIRED."
(Go the extra mile.)
10. "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO WORK AGAINST YOU."
11. "GIVE TO THE POOR TO PLEASE GOD, NOT TO GAIN APPROVAL
FROM OTHER PEOPLE."
12. "PRAY PRIVATELY AND SIMPLY, NOT TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE."
13. "MAKE YOUR PRAYERS BE LIKE THE LORD'S PRAYER."
14. "WHEN YOU FAST, DO IT SECRETLY, NOT FOR SHOW."
15. "STORE UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH."
16. "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS."
17. "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE."
18. "MAKE GOD YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF
ALL YOUR NEEDS."
19. "DO NOT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE." (Judge not, lest ye be judged.)
20. "DO NOT GIVE HOLY THINGS TO DOGS OR CAST YOUR PEARLS
BEFORE SWINE."
21. "ASK GOD FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO HAVE." (Seek, and ye shall
find.)
22. "FEED THE HUNGRY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, SHELTER THE HOMELESS,
COMFORT THOSE IN DISTRESS."
23. "FOLLOW THE NARROW PATH TO LIFE." (Enter by the narrow gate.)
24. "BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS."
25. "EXERCISE POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS."
26. "LOVE LITTLE CHILDREN, DO NOT DESPISE THEM."
27. "DO NOT TAKE THE TITLES 'MASTER' OR 'FATHER' FOR YOURSELF."
28. "RESOLVE DISPUTES IN AN ORDERLY WAY, LIKE THIS . . . "
29. "DO NOT OPPOSE OTHER BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WHO ARE NOT IN YOUR
GROUP."
30. "HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN GOD FOR EVERYTHING."
31. "BE LIKE THE GOOD SAMARITAN." (Go, and do likewise.)
32. "LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS I HAVE LOVED YOU"
33. "EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME."
34. "WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET."
35. "BE MERCIFUL."
36. "GO AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM."
37. "KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."
38. "BE PREPARED FOR YOUR MASTER TO RETURN."