If you audit the Word of God, it will add you no credit towards your graduation to the next spiritual level. Dr. Tony Evans talks about what we have to put into scripture to get the most out of it. In order for the Word of God to work, you must be enrolled in the course. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. There's plenty to be found in the pages of the Bible, but Dr. Evans says if you don't connect it with your own life, all you're doing is recreational reading. Let's turn to James chapter 1 as he explains. We are studying the book of James.
And he has talked about trials. The difficulty is that come to us in life. And James has established that trials are given and allowed by God as his means of taking us to the next spiritual level. But whether we go there depends on how we respond to them. One of the responses that we ought not have is a response of sin because what sin does is nullify the growth process.
And so he says, don't blame God if you sin. God brings a trial for growth. Sin is your choice. And mine. He now comes to a section that really does relate intimately both to what we just heard and to the text we've read thus far.
Because he's going to argue that the key to responding to trials. And the key to resisting temptation... is found in your reaction to God's word.
So to stand behind this word is in fact What he is calling for us to do Whether you are facing a trial or having to resist A temptation. He has argued in verse 18 that. God's word brought us forth. Because it is the word of truth. That we were birthed by the Word of God.
That took root in our souls and gave us a new nature. That is how powerful this word is. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, and it is able to pierce down. into the very dividing line of the Invisible, the soul and the spirit. Hebrews 4.
says That it is this word that is able to Create new life where there is only death. Having established that as a basis for understanding why we need not sin in the last section. It becomes our transition. to the use of the word in this section. Verses 19 to 25.
There are three things that this in-your-face apostle wants to say. First of all, he wants you to resign yourself to scripture, verses 19 and 20. Having talked about the word in verse 18. He says, do three things for me, my beloved brethren or Christians. Be quick to hear.
Slow to speak. and slow the anger. When you're in a trial. When you're attempting to resist a sin, that is doing a number on you. He says there must be three resignations in your soul and each of these three is relative to the word of God.
We know that because he's talking about the word in verse 18, the verse before, and he's going to talk about the word in verse 21, the verse after. The first thing is, be quick to hear. To hear what? to hear what God says about what you're facing. The first place you go when being tested or tempted.
is the word of God. When you go to God to hear what he has to say about what you're facing, with the word, and certainly you can go to people who can give you the word, but then you hear what God says. That is the time to be silent and let your spirit. Pick up on what the Holy Spirit wants to say. When Job was going through his great trial, a trial that most of us could only imagine, he spent early on a lot of time talking.
Remember, he had his three friends who engaged him in ongoing conversation for much of the book of Job. And they went back and forth. I think this, Job. Job says, well, no, I don't think that. And another one would say, but Job, I think what you're going through is this.
And Job would say, no, I haven't sinned. It can't be that. And they go back and forth, and there is a lot of. Talking. It finally dawns on Job.
Let me read to you Job chapter 40. Here's what he said. Then the Lord said to Job, Will the fault finder contend with the Almighty? Will you argue with God? Let him who reproves God answer it.
Then Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am insignificant. What can I say to you? I'll lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, I will not answer. Even twice.
I will add No more. Lord, since I really don't know what's going on. And since I really don't know how to get out of this mess, I am just going to. Chill. I'm going to find out what you have to say on this matter.
How I am to respond into this in this situation. What you want me to do, that is what I'm going to do. And then rather than getting a myriad of opinions, I am going to take time out. To listen. That's called meditation, by the way.
And illumination sets in because you have meditated on the word. Number three. He wants there to be the proper reflection on the word, the reflection on the word. But prove yourself doers of the word. And not merely Hearers who delude themselves.
Yeah. Pay close attention here as he works from verse 22 to 25. To hear the Bible and not do the Bible. is to regress. There is no such thing as neutrality.
In fact, he says they hear it. And not do it? It's self-deception. You fooling yourself. You have tricked yourself.
With the word right in front of you. In fact, let me make a radical statement. It is better to do more with less. Then to do less with more. Shh.
It would be better if some of you Would just do something with the little you know than trying to get more. A lot of people go to, you know, they want Bible conferences and this conference and that conference. They're not doing anything with what they've already learned. That is of no value. He says to hear the word and not do the word is delusionary.
And then it gives an illustration. that every man and woman in this building can identify with. You don't even have to be spiritual to understand this one. If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, He is like a male. The Greek word for man is not the Greek word for mankind, but it's the Greek word for male.
He is a male, a man that is a male, who looks at his natural face in a mirror. For once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten the person that He was. He deals with men and mirrors.
Okay? He says, A person who comes to hear the word, whether it's the church or whether it's in your personal devotions. And you hear it. But who does nothing with what he hears. is like a man.
A male. who goes in front of a mirror and does nothing with what he sees.
Now the reason that James uses a man is because women don't do that. Women are not about to go in front of no mirror. and do nothing. Ladies, right now. Pick up your purses.
Everything pick up right now. Pick up your purses. Yeah. All right, I want you to reach into your purse and every lady that's got a compact with a mirror in it, hold it up. Hold it up.
I want to get a better look. Stand up. Every lady that's got a compact with a mirror in it, stand up. Every stand up. I want to see all the compacts here.
Lord, have mercy.
Okay, got a mirror. All right, you may be thieving.
Now, men, pull out your wallets. Pull out your wallets. Every man with a mirror in his wallet stand up. Women not. are going to make sure.
That if they can't be in front of a mirror, they have a mirror with them. Because men glance at mirrors, women gaze at mirrors. He says that a people who look at the word of God and don't seek to act on it Unlike men. Who just kind of go, peek, look, and gone. Not like women.
But God, when it comes to the mirror of his word, demands a gaze. He does not want you to read the Bible because the verse today keeps the devil away. He wants you to stare at that thing. and roll over that thing. And work with that thing so that that thing gets a hold of your very soul.
And the only way it will do that is if you act on it. It is like a man. Who looks at his natural face? This is another important Greek expression because it means literally the face of his birth. That's what the phrase means, his natural face, the face of his birth.
Now, let me hit you with an interesting concept here. He's talked about our new birth in verse 18. When you stare at the mirror, he calls the Bible a mirror. It is your soul looking at. The face of your birth, that is your new birth, your second birth.
So God gets to reflect back to you. What he sees. When you go to the word, God wants to tell you what he's. He wants to point back to you. How he says you look.
That is why Satan wants to keep us away from the word because he does not want us to see what God sees and if we can use some other mirror rather than this mirror, we will always think we're okay when we're not. See a lot of mirrors for us are not The word, but other Christians. We look at other Christians and we say He doesn't look that good. I'm sure I look better. I must be okay.
Wrong mirror. God says that your mirror is to be the mirror of the Word of God so He can reflect back to you. What he sees. doctor Evans will return shortly with more on the importance of letting Scripture do its work in our lives. Before he does, though, I want to tell you about a special resource package we put together.
to help you grow in your faith during life's difficult seasons. It includes Dr. Evans' 30-day devotional, Trusting God in Turbulent Times. a daily guide filled with scripture, encouragement, and practical challenges. designed to help you find strength in God's faithfulness.
And along with the devotional, we'll also include all 16 full-length lessons in Tony's current two-volume series, James, Time to Grow Up. You can choose the audio collection on C D, USB flash drive, or instantly available digital downloads. We'd like you to have this complete package as our thank you gift. when you make a contribution to support our work here on the air and around the world. Get the details at tonyevans.org.
before this limited-time offer runs out. That's tonyevans.org. or call 1-800-800-3222. where a friendly member of our resource team will be happy to help with your request. I'll repeat that contact information after part two of today's lesson and this.
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Reserve your spot today at tonyevans.org. Luke chapter 8 says that there are four kind of responses to the word. There's the no response. People don't do anything with it. He said in verse 13, in verses 11 and 12, there's no response.
He says in Luke 8 and verse 13, he said there's a shallow response. Because when difficulties come, they are fast to speak. you know, not swift to hear. And so they run out when difficulties come. And so that's a shallow response.
In verse 14, he says, it's an inadequate response because they're too into the world to give the word time and attention. And then he talks about the good soil, that is the sufficient response. and these are the ones who absorb the truth of God. and do something with it. You say, but Pastor, you understand how busy I am.
Life is tough! Suppose you went to a doctor. Went to a physician. When you got to the physician, Because you were going through illness. Pain here.
Pain bear. You said? Here, Doc, this is my pain. This is my problem. And the doc said, well, look, I'm really in a hurry.
Let me rush and do you. Just put a little stethoscope. You're all right. Go in. You wouldn't appreciate that because you want a doctor who does two things.
who gives you the time necessary to really diagnose the problem and then tells you the truth about what they find. That's what you want. You want time. or attention and truth.
Well, Jesus is the great physician. And he wants to give you time and attention, and he will tell you the truth, but you've got to come to the doctor's office. The word of God. You've got to come before his presence. In the word of God and let that presence be transforming.
It is a transforming presence. Why? Because when you hear the word and come before the word, you're not looking only at a book, you're looking at a person. You're looking at a person. The question at the end of this service is what are you going to do?
What are you going to do? What are you going to do? Not what did I hear? What did I hear? What did I hear?
Many of us treat hearing a sermon on Sunday like chewing gum. We come for the flavor, then we spit it out till it's time to pick up another piece. We come for the sweetness. That's the problem, many of you.
Some of you only come and you feel like if I get there in time for the sermon, I am sufficient. If that is your thinking, that is evil. Because that means that you have not done the things to prepare your heart to pull out the weeds. And if you only come for the sugar of the sermon and not for the meeting with the person, then you will leave still weeded even though you may have left with a nice taste in your mouth. You will not be transformed by it.
And that's why the big thing of church is not just hearing the Bible, it is worshiping the Lord. That's why we have communion first at the beginning of our service, so we can do some weed pulling, so that there will nothing hinder the word from getting to our souls, so we can confess our sins and get rid of the weeds, so that the word can nail us. They'll convict us. Cleanse us. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that when we come face to face with God, In front of this mirror.
The child of God looking into the mirror. He sees the Son of God and is transformed by the Spirit of God for the glory of God. Look at what David says in Psalm 139. David, who loved the word of God. Says this word.
In verse 23 and 24, search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me into the way everlasting. That's the mirror. Lord, I'm coming face to face with you.
I'm not coming to open a book. I'm coming to meet a person who has communicated to me through a book, but I want to see you. Talk to me and you would be amazed what you will hear God say. Because you've given him the time and attention for him to tell you the truth. It is transforming.
The two different kind of pictures, you can go and take a picture at one of them little cheap photo things at the mall. And believe me, don't take too many pictures there. They really won't compliment you. Huh? That's not what God does.
He doesn't just have the quick picture. He wants an X-ray. He wants to be able to penetrate below the surface of your life.
Well, he concludes this point about reflection on the word. And that means to take it in that you might do something with it. with this classic verse, verse 25. Yeah. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides in it, not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed.
in whatever he does. Many Christians treat the word of God like tourists. They just want to take a tour. No lasting effect. They just want to be a tourist.
The Greek word look intently means to stoop down and look close at. That's what look intently means. To stoop down and look into, it's like having a contact lens fall out. You don't have a contact lens fallout and do one of them numbers. When you have a contact lens fallout, you want to get down on the ground because you want to really see and find it.
It means that you do not treat the word Lightly, you do not treat it. Casually, you must decide you're going to look intently at. Guess what the word of God is? The perfect law. Notice what kind of law it is, the law of liberty.
Now follow me closely. David says in Psalm 119 verse 45. I have liberty because I love your precepts. I'm a free man because I love your rules. Jesus says in John 8, you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
You say, well, I know the truth, but I'm not free. That's because you know it up here. You're not doing it down here. It is the doing of the truth, not the knowing of the truth informationally only, that produces the freedom of the law.
Now we seem to have a contradiction. How can you have law and freedom? I'll try to answer that. Let me say this. When you received the seed, you received Christ.
That means you got a new nature. When you take the word of God Your new nature has been so constructed To respond properly to the rules of God's word or to the demands of Christ's likeness. When you express what your new nature is supposed to do because of the word that you've received, your new nature will be free. rather than restricted because it will now be responding to the right documentation.
So your new nature, the Christ in you. has only been constructed to respond to that which pleases God. That's why Paul says in Romans chapter 7 verse 22, he delights in the law of God because he finds the law frees him up. Because God's rules of guidelines, when obeyed properly, They are the road to freedom. Many of us want to audit the Christian life.
Right? People audit the course when they want the data, but they don't want the right papers. They don't want to take tests, so they audit it, okay?
Well, you have to understand one thing. When you audit a course, you don't get credit for it. When you go to college and you audit a college course, It does not show up on your transcript. And while it may be wonderful informationally, it is of no benefit to your graduation day. If you audit the word of God, it will add you no credit towards your graduation to the next spiritual level.
In order for the Word of God to work, you must be enrolled in the course. In order for the Word of God to work, you must not only hear what the teacher says, you must be willing to do the paper, take the test, and apply the knowledge. No application, then there is no grade on your transcript, no grade on your transcript, no growth to the next spiritual level. You cannot audit the Christian life. It must be lived.
Dr. Tony Evans, talking about the importance of being all in as a believer. In the time we have remaining, I want to mention that today's lesson is part of a powerful sermon series from doctor Evans called James' Time to Grow Up. There are sixteen full length messages in this two volume collection. containing bonus content we won't have time to present on the air.
As I mentioned, it's yours as our thank-you gift. when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. Along with it, we'll send you Dr. Evans' 30-day devotional, Trusting God in Turbulent Times. designed to encourage you and strengthen your faith through life's toughest seasons.
To take advantage of this special offer, visit tonyevans.org. or reach out to our resource center at 1-800-800-3222-122. where team members are always on hand to help you. That's Tony Evans.org. or by phone at 1-800-800-3222.
There's more to genuine faith than simply doing the right things. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans looks beneath our outward actions. to uncover what really should motivate the way we live and serve. Be sure to join us for that.
