It's God's way...or the highway

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August 28pm, 2011
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GRAB YOUR BIBLES James 1:22-25
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Today my message is going to be about....our attitude toward the Word of God:
And how it determines....whether it helps us or not!
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LETS READ THE TEXT James 1:22-25
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V.22A “But be ye doers of the word,”
-THE ONLY WAY GOD’S WORD.....WILL HELP YOU-
(By applying it to your life
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Last week we were talking about.......
“the engrafted word”
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But it has to be obeyed...to make a difference in your life!
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V.22B “and not hearers only,”
-THE BIG PROBLEM.....A LOT OF CHRISTIANS HAVE-
(They may know and read the Bible
But that is all:
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-HAVING THE WRONG ATTITUDE.....ABOUT BIBLE STUDY-
Seeing it as...just a “practice” of our faith:
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And not as a...”practical benefit to us”!
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V.22C “deceiving your own selves.”
-THE RESULT OF NOT ALLOWING GOD’S WORD.....TO CHANGE YOU-
(You become “self deceived”
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Thinking that you are right...because you know the Bible:
While not realizing..that you have missed the whole point!
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V.23A “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer,”
-GOD’S “EXPLANATION”.......OF HIS INSTRUCTIONS-
(Even though....He doesn’t owe us an explanation
He still gives us one.
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-THIS IS ONE OF THINGS I LOVE.....ABOUT GOD’S WORD-
(It gives us.....the answers
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Not only telling us what to do:
But explaining to us....why we aught to do it:
And......how it all works!
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V.23B “he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:”
-THIS IS AN EASILY UNDERSTOOD....CONCEPT-
(Because the Lord wants us to...get it
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God Word is like a mirror...we can look into:
And see the truth about ourselves:
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But....people who are “not doers of the word”:
Don’t want...to know the truth about themselves:
Because they don’t want to repent!
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V.24A “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way,”
-THE HEART.....OF THESE PEOPLE’S PROBLEM-
(They want a relationship with God
On their terms:
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They want to do things...”their way”!
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They see from God’s Word how things should be:
And then.....go their way!
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V.24B “and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
-GOD’S RESPONSE....WHEN WE DO THINGS OUR WAY-
(He allows us to forget...”His way of doing things”
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And the truths we learned from His Word:
Go in one ear.....and out the other!
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When you sit down to study God’s Word:
"Your will"....need to be put out the door!
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V.25A “But”
-THE DIRECTION....ANY CHRISTIAN CAN TAKE AT ANY TIME-
(If we come to the Lord with repentance
We can start being a doer of the Word:
And be wonderfully blessed!
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It’s never too late....for a Christian to repent;
While they still have breath in their body!
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V.25B “whoso looketh”
-THE ONLY WAY......THE LORD WILL HELP US WITH OUR PROBLEMS-
(When we are “looking”....for His help
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If we don’t put our life.....into His hands:
Than we shouldn’t.....expect it to change!
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V.25C “into the perfect law of liberty,”
-THE ONLY SOURCE.....OF THE CHRISTIANS DELIVERANCE-
(The truths of God’s Word
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We need God’s Word....to teach us God’s will:
To teach us....the direction He wants us to go!
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-ONE REASON GOD’S WORD....IS CALLED THE LAW OF LIBERTY-
Because it truly sets us free:
Free...from the bondage of sin:
And free...from our own misconceptions!
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“We shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make us free.”
John 8:32
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V.25D “and continueth [therein],”
-THE CONSTANT ATTENTION.....OUR SINFUL LIFE NEEDS-
(Because of our sinful flesh
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We need to stay in God’s Word:
Hiding it in our hearts:
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To keep......our victory over sin!
Qt. Psalms 119:11 “Thy word have I hid..”
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V.25E “he being not a forgetful hearer,”
-SATAN’S PLAN.....FOR THE DISTRACTIONS OF LIFE-
(To get us to forget about....our sinfulness
And to forget about....God’s remedy for our sin:
-Repentance!-
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We need....to stay in God’s Word:
& continue to expose ourselves to preaching of God’s Word:
So we can maintain....a victory over sin!
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V.25F “but a doer of the work,”
-THE LABOR INVOLVED....IN A CLOSE WALK WITH THE LORD-
(The labor...of daily dealing with our sins
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➀ Reading and studying God’s Word:
➁ Then repenting when He convicts us!
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Laziness...is another reason some Christians fall out!
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V.25G “this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
-GOD’S MOTIVATION TO US....TO DEAL WITH OUR SIN-
(So that we will be blessed
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-THE “CATCH 22"......OF GOD’S BLESSINGS-
It takes “faith”....to expect a blessing:
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But not being willing to expose yourself to God’s Word:
Robs you of faith!
Qt. Romans 10:17
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That would be just fine.