Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading Mt 7:21-29

Welcome

Good morning to each and every one of you today.

I am so thankful that you are here today.

We are gathered here today to worship and to come together as the community of Christ, s the family and body of Christ.

If you are visiting with us today, I hope you feel welcome and experience a great day of worship.

We have a couple of announcement this morning before we get into our message.

If you are here for the first time, or if you need prayer, or would like to communicate anything to us today, please fill out a connection card and put it into the card box at the back of the sanctuary.

Announcements

Small groups start up the second week of October

New Member Class - See Pastor Kyle

Operation Christmas Child - See Mary Long

Prayers

War in Ukraine

For the weak and the poor

For the hurting and the hopeless

Pray for Wisdom for the Church

Let us Pray

Recap Being a Hearer of the Word

We continue in the book of James today.

We will be in chapter 1 verse 22 if you would like to turn there ahead of time.

James is speaking to his fellow brothers and sister in the church.

The theme of chapter one so far has been a series of tests that believers will come up against while they live out their lives for Christ.

He presents these tests and then communicates how a genuine believer or true believer will respond to these tests.

Why is this important?

Why does James spend so much time describing how a true believer responds.

In today's world this seems intrusive and condescending.

It is judgement and how does James have a right to do this?

Why?

Because he loves the people he is writing to.

Just like today, there are many people who will sit in the sanctuaries and churches of the world who will commit there time, energy, and even material resources to the work of the church but never have a saving relationship with the one and only one who can save a person from their sins, from eternal separation from God.

Matthew 7:21–23 (CSB)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you.

Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

1 John 2:19 (CSB)

19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us.

However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

This is a reality for the church of God.

There will always be people that will be amongst the family of God that will believe in aspects of the church, in helping people, or being part of a church, being religion or spiritual but they will have a relationship with the church and not with the Lord.

For their own selfish reasons, that are most likely unknown to themselves, they will participate and be in the church, but when the day of judgment comes, when every person stands before God and Jesus, He will say these are mine and those are not.

Why does James care?

The same reason as every pastor and priest of God should care.

Because we love.

Each and every believer is part of the royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:4–5 (CSB)

4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

To stand around and let people parish because we don’t want to bring forth scripture or hurt feelings or cause division isn’t loving it is hateful.

To be loving is to bring the Word forward over and over and over and present it to the people around us.

Each person through the guidance of the Holy Spirit must respond accordingly.

James is challenging the community to submit to tests that reveal the true believers.

This is not to condemn the ones that are not genuine because they are lost and already condemned.

At the end of these tests a true follower of Jesus will be encouraged and a deceived person should see their need to have belief and faith in the saving grace of God.

Last week we started the last test of chapter 1.

This is the response of a believer to the Word of God, to the Holy Scriptures of the bible.

A believer is to be a hearer and a doer of the Word.

Last week we looked at the first part of the equation.

That is being a hearer of the word.

This was more than just listening to it.

James brought forth some characteristics of a believer that are imperative for a person to hear the Word.

To be ready to hear and receive the Word.

A believer must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, humble and seeking purity.

Let us stand as we read our main text for today.

James 1:19 through verse 27

James 1:19–27 (CSB)

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror.

24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.

25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself.

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

It is the implanted, or rooted, Word of God that is able to save our souls.

James says it is more than just hearing though.

It is more than sitting here on Sunday, or listening to a podcast or even reading our bibles.

The truths of scripture must move between head knowledge.

It must be implanted in our hearts and shine back out of the believer though their actions.

Legos Illustration - Truths, Commands, Promises, and Questions.

A Doer is not Deceived

Once we have the truths, commands, and promises in our minds and hearts, James says a true believer will be a doer of the Word.

The believer is to be a doer.

This means to be in a constant state of doing or to be continually doing what the word commands.

This is one of the fundamental characteristics of a true believer.

There is a difference between a student of something and someone who is something.

It brings to mind the arts.

I am not very artistic, or musical, or creative.

But I can paint something, I could pick up Nate’s guitar and butcher twinkle twinkle little star.

I could get on the piano and play I dropped my dolly in the dirt.

But this doesn’t make me an artist or a musician.

I can cook a burger but I am not a chef.

I can change the clutch in my car but I am not an auto mechanic.

On the other hand I have fixed hundreds of lawn mowers over the last 20 years and I can say with some confidence that I am beyond a basic small engine mechanic.

A person can study their entire life on a subject but that does not change them into a state of being what they studied.

I was reading about a man that is 75 years old that for the last 55 years has been in school.

He has 30 degrees to his name.

He is shooting for 33 to 34 degrees in his lifetime.

He has degrees in Theology, Teaching, Counseling, Educational leadership, business administration, Library science, Law enforcement, Special education, reading, School Physiology, Home Economics.

In the end it does not look like he will become any of the things he studied.

What has he become, a professional student.