Welcoming The Word

James 1.21-27

This Is My Bible
David Wood Ministries
www.dwministries.org

This is my Bible.
It is a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path. 

It tells me who I am, what I can
become , and where I am going.
It renews my mind, changes my heart,
and refreshes my soul.
It is my daily bread. 

By faith, I will believe its promises,
obey its commandments, and honor
its principles in my life.
With the Bible as my guide, I will
walk by faith and not by sight.

[Receive the engrafted word (vs 21) - means the implanted word, word that is alive like a seed.  Receive the living word that is able to save your souls.] 

[Salvation is in three tenses:] 

[1.  We have been saved - In the past when I accepted Jesus Christ I was saved from the penalty of sin.]

[2.  We are being saved - I am being saved, right now, from the power of sin.]

[3.  We shall be saved  - One day when I go to heaven I will be saved from the possibility of sin.] 

[James is talking about our being saved.  He is telling us to receive the engrafted Word that is able to save your mind, your emotion and your will.  He is saying that the Word is able to sanctify you.  He's not talking about going to heaven; he's talking about the Word of God giving you deliverance from the power and pollution of sin.] 

["If you want to be a successful, vibrant Christian,
 you must stay in the Word of God."] 

[The reason so many Christians are spiritually anemic is because they have never learned to receive God's Word.] 

[Two Greek Words for Receive:] 

[1.  lambano - To take out and grasp, to reach out and take to yourself (by self prompting).  Like opening a textbook and on your own according taking some truth out. It is the acquiring that comes by study.] 

[2.  decomai - To welcome, to open and receive. ] 

[James is using the sense of Welcoming the Word.] 

["You can backside with a Bible under your arm,
because, when it comes to God's Word,
you're not going to just reach in and pull something out."] 

["You're going to have to receive the Word of God
as you would receive a friend into your house.  Welcome it in."] 

A.   Why Should I Welcome God’s Word into my life? – The Word of God Is: 

1.      Your Sure Foundation (John 17.17; Psalm 119.160, 89) [– It is our only source of truth in this life.  All of our contemporary cultures sources of truth will soon let you down, they are nothing more than sinking sand.  Human philosophies, or mankind’s ideas, will change with the ebb and flow of life.  Your emotions and feelings can and will change daily, an often multiple times in a given day, and cannot be a source of truth. There is only one reliable source of absolute truth provided in this life and it is the written Word of God.] 

[John 17:17 ¹⁷ . . .  thy word is truth. ]

[Psalms 119:160 ¹⁶⁰ Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. ]

[Psalms 119:89 ⁸⁹ For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. ]

2.      Your Secure Fortress (Psalm 19.7-11; Luke 6.47-48) [- The promises of God are faithful and true.] 

[Psalms 19:7-11 ⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. ⁸ The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. ⁹ The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.]  

[Luke 6:47-48 ⁴⁷ Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: ⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.]

3.      Your Spiritual Food (1 Pet 2.2; Heb 5.11-14; Rom 10.17) [– Without the milk and meat of God’s Word you will be spiritually weak because you will be spiritually starved.  You must hunger and thirst for the Word of God every day or you will be spiritually Tepid.  To be tepid means to be weak, lethargic, and sickly.  These are all the results of spiritual starvation.]   

[1 Peter 2:2 ² As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: ]

[Hebrews 5:11-14 ¹¹ Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. ¹² For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. ¹³ For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. ]

[I once had a lady ask me, “Pastor how can I grow my faith?”  she thought that there would be some mystic, super spiritual, and profound answer to her question, but he answer is simple and plain.  To grow your faith you mearly need to spend more time in the Word of God, because the Bible says:] 

[Romans 10:17 ¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ]

[You will never be a spiritual Christian apart from the Word of God.]

[You fool yourself if you call yourself a spiritual Christian and you do not hunger for or deeply desire the Word of God.]

B.   Three Ways To Welcome God's Word: (vs 21-22) 

1.      Welcome The Word With Repentance (vs 21) -  “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, . . .”  

a.       [Clean your house (life, heart) - If a guest is coming this is one of the first things you ought to do.] 

(1)   [Filthiness - rupuse (gk) - refers to wax in the ears.  That which keeps you from hearing.  It seems the very thing that is wrong with us is keeping us from hearing God.  You will not get our life right until you decide that you need to and want to hear God.] 

1)      [Illustration - There was a man with a carrot stuck in his ear, and his friend said, "hey, you've got a carrot in your ear."  He said, "huh?"  The friend said, louder, "you have a carrot in your ear."  He replied, "What?"  The friend exclaimed, "you have a carrot in your ear!"  The man said, "I can't hear you I have a carrot in my ear."] 

(2)   [Superfluity of naughtiness - Means that which remains, or is left over.  The hang over of sin.  The sin that comes over from the old life.] 

1)      [When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead he came forth from the grave wrapped in his graves clothes.  He was alive but he couldn't go anywhere.  He had life but he didn't have liberty.  Then Jesus said, "loose him." (John 11.44)  Then he had liberty.  We ought to be loosed of those old things that bind us.] 

b.      [You must prepare your heart - If you're going to welcome the Word you must clean the house of your heart and life.] 

c.       [You must repent and remove all sin from your life  (Matt 23.27) - There is no little sin when it comes to a dirty spiritual house.] 

[Matthew 23:27 ²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.]

d.      [Illustration of a little poison in a cup of water.] 

2.      Welcome The Word With Readiness (vs 21) – “. . . and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”  

a.       [Meekness - a compliant spirit, ready to obey.  The reason that some of us don't get anything from the Bible is because we don't come to it with meekness.] 

(1)   [Meekness is not weakness.] 

(2)   [Moses was the meekest man that ever lived and he was a very powerful figure.  ] 

(3)   [Meekness means teach ability, trainability.  ] 

1)      [In the old days when they would take a stallion and want to put a saddle on the horse so he could be ridden.  They would take a person who was trained in breaking horses and would put him on that horse until that horse was used to running with a rider on his back, and obey his commands.  Then they would say the horse had been made meek.  He was now guidable, or teachable.] 

(4)   [Many people never really understand the Word of God because when God's Word says something they parade it past the jury of their mind.  They try to figure it out for themselves, rather than just receiving the Word of God (John 7.17).] 

[John 7:17 ¹⁷ If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. ]

3.      Welcome The Word With Responsiveness (vs 22) – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”  

a.       [Marks of the deceived: Be a doer of the Word and not deceived.] 

(1)   [They are foolish (Matt 7.26).  If you do not respond to what you claim to have received and welcomed, then you're a fool.  You have fooled yourself.  You are self-deceived.] 

[Matthew 7:26 ²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:]

(2)   [They are Hobbiest . Some have a note book full of sermon's, but have no more intention of obeying what they hear than you have what you watch on television.  It is like a hobby.  To hear the truth and not respond.] 

(3)   [They are trapped. A man that is self-deceived gets himself in a trap that he cannot get out of.] 

 ["What we really believe we live by,
 the rest is just religious talk." Peter Lord] 

a.      [A test to see if you are receiving the Word.] 

(1)   [Is your knowledge of the Bible making you more like Jesus Christ?] 

E.   How I Do I Welcome God’s Word Into My life? (vs 23-25) 

1.      [The Word of God is like a mirror, but there are two ways to look into a mirror.] 

a.       [“Behold” means a casual glance (vs 23-24) – “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” - To look, notice, and then walk away and forget.  Many people casually glance at the Word of God and then walk away completely un affected by it.] 

b.      [Looking into means a careful gaze(vs 25) – “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” -  As John looked steadfast into the tomb (cf John 20.5).  A careful examination and application of the Word.] 

2.      Five things to do when you look into the mirror of God’s Word: [David Jeremiah] 

a.       Examination [– This is to read it and study it.  It’s just not good enough to just study select passages, you must read the whole word of God, and then study those passages that you need to understand better.  As you examine the Word of God ask questions.] 

(1)   [Are there sins to confess?]

(2)   [Are there attitudes to change?]

(3)   [Are there promise to claim?]

(4)   [Are the Commands to obey?]

(5)   [Are there any prayers to pray?]

(6)   [Are there errors to avoid?]

(7)   [Are there truths to believe?]

(8)   [Are there things to thank God for?] 

[Illustration: - A man knew his son was about to go to Europe for his college education.  His father was concerned about what those atheist professors would do to his sons faith.  So he gave his son this advice.  "Son, don't let them take Jonah from your Bible."

    A few years latter, when his son returned the father asked his son.  "Is Jonah still in your Bible?"  The son laughed and replied, "why Jonah's not even in your Bible, look and see."  Upon checking the father noticed that the book had been carefully cut from his Bible.  The son then said, "What difference does it make if it is removed by the teaching of my godless professors or by your neglect?"  How do you look into God's Word?] 

b.      Meditation [- Think on God's Word.] 

(1)   ["This is the difference between a tourist and an explorer." [David Jeremiah]] 

c.       Memorization [- Don't be a forgetful hearer.] 

d.      Application [- Be a doer of the Word.] 

e.       Validation [- Do you live clean lives in a dirty world?  Does your life carry the marks of the Word of God upon it?] 

["The way to understand the part of the Bible you don't understand,
is to obey the part of the Bible you do understand."] [Adrian Rodgers]

Crossroads Baptist Church, December 2, 2007