FROM VANITY TO VICTORY
James 1:22-27

Introduction:     There is a contrast in this passage between a doer of the word and a mere hearer.  Each of us who listen to the preaching of the word of God is one or the other. Which are you? We sin when we go through the motions of religion without our hearts committed to God as they ought to be. What we believe effects how we behave!

I.          POTENT COMMAND (V. 22)

            A.        Concerning Duty

·        Doers of the Word of God are doers of the will of God. (Mat 7:21) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

·        “Be ye” = to become or show yourself to be – a command or action.

B.                 Concerning Deception

·        To be deceived is to misreckon. Akin to Satan (delude & beguile).

·        Here, it speaks of deceiving yourself. Hearing only, merely soothes the conscience temporarily.

II.         POWERFUL COMPARISON (VV. 23-25)

            A.        The Glancer (vv.23-24)

·        He Looks In The Word – “beholding” = to observe.

·        He Likes His Own Ways

·        He Lives His Own Walk

            B.         The Gazer (v.25)

·        Careful Attention To The Word – “looketh” = to bend beside or lean over (so as to peer within):- look (into) (John 20:5) "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in."

·        Continues In The Word

·        Commitment To The Word

·        Conclusion In The Word

Mistakes of the glancer:

1. Merely glances
2. Forgets what he sees
3. Fails to obey what the Word tells him.

The Gazer “shall be blessed!”

III.       PREFERRED CONDUCT (VV. 26-27)

            A.        The Words Of Faith

Profession without Possession – Concerns:

·        Unbridled Tongue – You can tell a lot about a person by their tongue. The tongue reveals the heart (Mat 12:36 -37) "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. {37} For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." If the heart is right the speech will be right. The tongue is connected to the heart (Jas.3:2).

o       Satan can use the tongue to destroy lives.

o       With a word the heart is lifted up or cast down

o       With a word our spirits are dashed or they are encouraged.

·        Unconverted Heart – “deceiveth his own heart” = just fooling himself. (Illus: deceived by thinking that religious rituals are all that God requires…these who hear the Word and seem to conform outwardly, but are not saved) (Mat 13:15 ) "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." (Mat 18:3) "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." You can sit with, sing, with, give with, and listen to God’s Word with Christians, but if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you’re lost.

·        Unreal Religion – “Vain” = empty; useless; dead; non-productive; fake. (Mat 15:8-9)  "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. {9} But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

            B.         The Works of Faith

We are to take the blessings of God to others in need. Real religion is marked by personal ministry. Ministry is responding to the authentic needs of others with the love of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 John 3:17-18)  "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? {18} My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." James is referring to a religion that is pure and incorrupt and that is the same inside and out.

·        “Pure” = without pollution or contamination.

·        “Undefiled” = unstained by evil.

We see ourselves in Christ in the mirror of His Word, then we should see others and their needs. (Illus: Isaiah 6:1-8 – Isaiah first saw the Lord, then himself, and then the people to whom he would minister).

            C.        The Walk Of Faith

We need to exhibit personal purity. True religion – real faith, is to remain true to the Lord, not soiled by this world. Our treatment of others is important, but so is our testimony before men.

·        “Unspotted” = unspilled upon. The world will spill its filth on us.

·        We see here a person that has such a careful gaze on what he sees in the mirror that he has become a doer “of the Word” and has enjoyed the blessings promised!

(Illus: Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom …then moved in…before long Sodom moved into him and he lost is testimony and his family.)

Conclusion:       We are accountable to God for how we respond to what He says! Since I am accountable to Him I want to know for sure that my faith is genuine. One sure fire test of real faith is: am I controlling my tongue, am I helping the needy, and am I keeping myself pure? If we make it our aim to always please Christ, everything else will take care of itself.