Doers of the Word, James 1:22-27

 

²² 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.

²⁶ If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Outline: 

·       22-24 Doer

·       25 Disciple

·       26 Deliberate

·       27a Duty

·       27b Destiny

 

22-24 Doer

Chuck Norris recently entered Eternity, where, I believe, he heard the words, “Well done.” Many years ago, Roxy and I watched Walker Texas Ranger, each night as we ate supper. Did he do commercials for Bowflex? Maybe not? We owned one for years, a long time ago. Owning that Bowflex never made me muscley like Norris.

I used it all the time... for a hat rack, a chair, a bench to pile stuff... Owning it was useless, unless I was a doer of the Bowflex.

Owning a Bible is of no value unless we are doers of the Word.

Doers? Doug! That sounds like work. Wait. I thought we were saved by grace through faith, not of works, so no man can Bowflex. I mean, boast. Eph. 2:8-9.

That’s True. The thief on the cross didn’t have to do anything, but believe, and he showed up in heaven. Just because the Man on the middle cross said he could.

However, had the thief lived; after having met the Word, he’d be required to be a doer of the Word.

The Bible requires nothing of unbelievers... but belief.

But after that, it’s shoe leather. Roll up your sleeves, we’ve got work to do. 

This is how Jesus did it when He put on skin and wore shoe leather:

Matthew 9:35-38

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Pray for more doers.

Be doers of the Word (Logos).

The word, for “word” in the original text is logos. It’s the same word used repeatedly in John 1:1, 14, referring to Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... ¹⁴ and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

Be doers of the Word, is not a suggestion.

To obey the Word is to obey Jesus.

To be doers of the Word is to be doing like Jesus.  

Hebrews 4:12 tells us the Word is alive and powerful and exposes thoughts and motives.

That’s why James calls it a mirror. It’s an Xray mirror into our soul.  

A mirror tells the Truth.

We may not like it, but it’s the Truth. The older I get, the less I like it.

The old hillbilly never saw a mirror. So, when he found one, he said, “Well, I’ll be, a picture of Pa. God rest his soul.” He set the “picture” on his workbench in the barn. When his wife saw it she snatched it up and exclaimed, “Why’s he got a picture of an ol’ hag like that in here?

A mirror reflects the person looking into it—not someone else.

It doesn’t reflect the speck in someone else’s eye, only the log in our own.

So, when the mirror reveals something out of line, we have two options.

Be a doer, or a deceiver.

Do something to get in line with the Word.

Or walk away deceiving ourselves.

That’s why Bibles are dusty. Pews are empty. Some don’t like what they see.

But it can’t be unseen. The Word doesn’t return void. It makes its mark.

Some try to bury it with business, or numb it with drugs or booze, but it’s no use.

The Word is too powerful and breaks right through. 

So, they live a lie.

Some deceive themselves into being “doers” of the world, but not the Word.

Jesus says it like this:  

Matthew 7:21-29

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

 

To be a doer of the Word, we must know the Word.

Which brings us to the next verse.

25 Disciple

 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.

Looks into is to stop and lean in for a closer look into the mirror, the perfect law of liberty, the Word of God.

Continues in it, is as a lady primping, not missing, one spot or blemish or hair out of place, as a glorious bride preparing without spot or wrinkle. Eph. 5:25-27. 

2 Timothy 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Luke 11:28

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.

Psalm 119:11
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The Word promises blessing on its disciples.

That’s why we invest all our time into teaching and preaching the Word. Book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word. In the last few years, we’ve walked through all of Genesis, Revelation, Joshua, John, Daniel, Acts and are currently winding our way through, Ezekiel and James.

But make no mistake, its more than just knowledge.

To truly understand the Word, we must truly know, the Author.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are Spiritually discerned

For example:

There’s another James, that knew the Word, grew up in church hearing the Word preached by his Pa in the New Hope Baptist Church, just outside Kearney, Missouri. Raised in a Bible believing, church attending, home.

I suppose his folks were so happy the day he was baptized. Surely they didn’t know, that just hours before, he killed a man.

He liked going to church. Taught Sunday School and sang in the choir.

Robbed banks and trains, killed some twenty people.

He was a Sunday School Superintendent.

Like the thief on the cross, he believed he was going to heaven.

However, after hearing the Word, unlike the thief on the cross, Jesse James had time to be a doer of the Word; but according to his deeds, he didn’t.

Only God knows the condition of his heart when he died, but his actions reveal he was a hearer only, not a doer, and thus, deceived.   

 To truly be a doer of the Word, we must truly know, the Author.

John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

26 Deliberate

²⁶ If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 

Hearers but not doers find religion but not relationship.

They gain knowledge of the Book but lack intimacy with the Author. Thus, they fill the emptiness with talk of religion, vain, useless, religion, that deceives them into believing they’re going to heaven, while living in sin.

Doers of the Word, are deliberate in word and deed, bridling their tongue, swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19).

Deliberately discerning that:

Proverbs 10:19
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

27a Duty

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble... 

Putting feet to faith. Shoe leather to sermons.

When the preacher’s speaking is done, is when the sermon begins to be done.

Religion that never leaves the sanctuary is useless.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:40: In as much as you’ve done it to the least of these, you’ve done it unto Me.

Orphans and widows in that day were the most vulnerable and needy, least of these.

The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45.

Matthew 23:11. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Mark 6:31 says there were so many coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat.

Of the over 900 different translations of the Bibles in English, the one that’s understood the best is: Shoe Leather.  

Pure undefiled religion is shoe leather.

It’s outside the stained glass and pews and clubhouse chairs. It’s hitting the street visiting orphans and widows, hospitals and that friend having a rough go. Helping someone with something—doesn’t matter what—just for the honor to serve and show that Jesus still puts on skin. Dropping off groceries and clothes. Crocheted donations. Standing in the street or parking lot or grocery store, praying for someone you just met and slipping them a little something extra as you shake their hand. It’s countless encouraging texts, and calls, and letters and prayers sent around the globe. Hanging out talking out how to be better doers of the Word.      

Being a doer of the Word, is dusty, and sweaty, exhausting and heavy... it’s the closest thing to heaven on earth, the greatest joy and fulfillment in the World. It’s a glimpse of our Divine Eternal Destiny.

27b Destiny

and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Being doers of the Word, will get us all kinds of dirty from the earth—and keep us unspotted from the sin-stained world.

James 1:21 tells us to lay aside all filthiness and wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save our souls.

Being doers of the Word sets the trajectory of our Divine Eternal Destiny, that looks a lot like this:

1 Peter 1:15-16
Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: “Be holy, because I AM holy.”

Psalm 1:1-1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ² But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. ³ He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

So, let’s be:

Doers of the Word

Disciples of the Word

Deliberate in Word

Dutiful to the Word

Fulfilling our Devine Eternal Destiny according to the Word.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for helping us to be doers of Your Word, ever looking into Your Perfect Law of Liberty, being transformed from glory to glory into Your image. So, all who see us, will catch a glimpse of You, that none are lost.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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