http://bible.com/events/48786410
James and God’s Religion
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
James 1:22-27
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
We live in a world filled with self-deception. What is the source of this self-deception according to James?
It’s not a lack of information
It’s not a lack of knowledge
It’s a lack of ACTION
-We are NOT saved by works, but by faith.
-We act because we love, we don’t act to somehow earn something from God.
-But make no mistake, James says as we continue to obey there is blessing! We experience God’s best!
Religion that God our Father accepts is a function of action:
-His Word has an impact on your words
-We respond by loving the desperate
-We respond by walking in holiness
John 14:15, 23
“If you love me, keep my commands. Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
James is speaking to believers…do not deceive yourselves any longer:
-Listening to the Word isn’t enough
-Reading the Word isn’t enough
-Talking about the Word isn’t enough
-God’s religion, unlike some of man’s, is about living a faith that does – a faith that honors God and impacts others.
So how is your action?
James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY