Tag: Hearers

43.x. “Wilderness” – 8.d. “Pay attention to all that I have said to you”

Exodus 23:13  “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

Joshua 22:5   Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

 Joshua 23:11   Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.

 Psalms 39:1   I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

 Ephesians 5:15   Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

 1 Timothy 4:16    Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

 Deuteronomy 4:9    “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—

 Psalms 16:4    The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

And in all things that I have said unto you, be circumspect,…. Or observe them, be careful to keep them punctually and constantly, even all that are delivered in this and the preceding chapters: and make no mention of the name of other gods; neither call upon them, nor swear by them, nor make vows to them; and, as little as possible, ever utter their names, and never with pleasure and delight, and showing any honour of them, and reverence to them, but with the utmost detestation and abhorrence. (Gill)

We hear of those who are popular and how they have found some sort of inner peace through following after some form of religion/god. This god they worship is not the God of heaven and earth but rather a manifestation of man’s attempt at creating a god that seems more to their liking. They replace God with whatever seems right in their own eyes rather than seeking their creator. For whatever reason, they deny the one and only true God and chase after another. They replace God with man-made god(s) and proclaim to their followers that this is the way to true happiness. The same can be said of those who are not popular that follow after the same foolishness. 

God reached out to His creation. He spoke to them, did wonders and signs, and recorded His Word so that His creation might begin to understand and know Him. He proclaimed His holiness and mankind’s sinfulness. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem His creation, forgive their sins, and fill them with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, He gifted His creation to live with ever-growing knowledge and understanding of His grace, mercy, and love. He offers peace, rest, comfort, courage, joy, hope, faith, love, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and patience. Denying or rejecting all of this will leave a void in a person that wants to be filled. People will try to fill this in every way possible, but apart from God, it is not.  

Seek to ever-grow, understand, and know how to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that you think, say, and do every minute of every day.

31.t. “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works”

 

Matthew 7:21  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

 Luke 6:46     “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

 Titus 1:16    They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

 James 1:22    But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

 Romans 12:2    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 Malachi 3:17-18    “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.  Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

 2 Timothy 2:19    But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

This warning of Jesus applies to people who speak or say things to Jesus or about Jesus, but don’t really mean it. It isn’t that they believe Jesus is a devil; they simply say the words very superficially. Their mind is elsewhere, but they believe there is value in the bare words and fulfilling some kind of religious duty with no heart, no soul, not spirit – only bare words and passing thoughts. (Guzik)

 This warning of Jesus applies to people who say “Lord, Lord,” and yet their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might. “There are those that speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands.” (Trapp)

 By saying “in that day” Jesus drew our attention to a coming day of judgment for all men. “What is the chief object of your life? Will you think as much of it “in that day” as you do now? Will you then count yourself wise to have so earnestly pursued it? You fancy that you can defend it now, but will you be able to defend it then, when all things of earth and time will have melted into nothingness?” (Spurgeon)

In the end, there is one basis of salvation; it isn’t mere verbal confession, not “spiritual works,” but knowing Jesus and being known by Him. It is our connection to Him – by the gift of faith that He gives to us – that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.

Doing what God wants us to must come from instruction and guidance. Scripture tells us that we learn this precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. How many of those that hear “Depart from Me” spent little to no time in His Word for their hearts and minds were captured by things of this world?  How many of these people attend church regularly? How many play church and are void of Jesus Christ in their life? 

We do well to spend time in His Word with a singular purpose to live so that all we say, think, and do is for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.

26.v. “Let no one deceive himself.”

 

Galatians 6:7  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 

 Job 15:31     Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment.

 Obadiah 1:3    The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

 Luke 21:8    And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

 Ephesians 5:6    Let no one deceive you with empty words, 

 2 Thessalonians 2:3    Let no one deceive you in any way.

 1 Corinthians 15:33    Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

 1 Corinthians 3:18    Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

 James 1:22    But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

 Job 13:8-9    Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?  Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?

 Jude 1:18    They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

 Proverbs 1:31    therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

 Romans 2:6-10    He will render to each one according to his works:  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,  but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

A farmer reaps the same as he has sown. If he plants wheat, wheat comes up. In the same way, if we sow to the flesh, the flesh will increase in size and strength.  The farmer also reaps more if he has sown more, and the relationship between what he sows and what he reaps is exponential. What we get out of life is often what we put in. We may fool ourselves by expecting much when we sow little, but we cannot fool God, and our poor sowing results will be evident. 

There are many things we seem to naturally have the ability to sow.  Hatred, confusion, anxiousness, fear, division, worthlessness, and as well false joy, love, peace, and security.  These seem to find root in self-satisfaction, self-worth, and self-reliance.

 When we sow to self-satisfaction we may reap temporal satisfaction to our mind, but it soon fades and leaves us wanting something more. It never lasts. Our false thoughts of its ability to satisfy us only drive us toward something more, something bigger, something bigger, something shinier, yet it never seems to satisfy. We are blind to the futility of our thought process that drives it.  Self-satisfaction also lies to our soul when it says I am satisfied with what I have done to make myself right before God.

When we sow self-reliance we jump headlong into pride. Self-reliance is very dangerous for the soul. It has eternal consequences. When self-reliance enters our hearts and is played out we are blind and deaf to things of God. Self-reliance says to the heart, mind, and soul, “I can do this on my own”, “I am smart enough”, “I don’t need help”, “I am better, stronger, smarter, wiser, richer, and through my sheer will can overcome and defeat any problem that comes my way. Self-reliance gives false trust in self.  Self-reliance is a liar to the soul.

When we sow self-worth we fall into thinking a host of unhealthy and ungodly thoughts. Primarily, I am worthy of God’s grace, mercy, and love.  I am more than good enough to receive eternal life in heaven. I am deserving of God’s blessings. These lies are rooted in our sinful nature.  We see our worthiness as holiness before God.  We falsely claim ourselves justified by our works. We keep a mental ledger book in our heads of all the good we have done to outweigh the bad.  Set up our own balance scale and determine our good outweighs the bad.  

There is none who does good, no not one.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory and holiness of God. The wages of sin is death. What is a person to do to save their soul from eternal hell? Trust not in self or schemes of man but trust fully in Jesus Christ.  The beauty of God’s grace, mercy, and love is that it is freely given to all who will trust, believe, rely on, and cling to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life.” To trust in Jesus Christ alone is eternal life.  To add anything to the work of Jesus Christ is false and will end in eternal hell.

2. Be Doers

James 1:22   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:27   Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Matthew 7:21-25     “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Luke 6:46-48    “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Luke 11:28     But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Romans 2:13     For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Obadiah 1:3    The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

Galatians 6:7    Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

It does not take much reading of scripture to be reminded of being “Doers of the Word” – “Keepers of the Word” – “Keeping oneself Unstained from the world”  God speaks to us through His word from either reading it or hearing others read it.  If we spend the time in it we find hope, peace, guidance, and encouragement for the trials that surely follow each day. 

How are we to keep unstained if we are not aware of what causes the staining?  How are we to be doers if we don’t know what to do?  Do we think for a second that we are guiltless or won’t be judged for neglecting His word?

Satan implants lies into our minds.  He tells us we are ok enough.  He tells us we are better than others.  He tells us that we are too busy. Too tired. He tells us we get enough of God’s word on Sunday.  He tells us we are content with how we are living for God.  He tells us we are not good enough or know enough to be of any value in spreading the Gospel or making disciples.  He tells us tomorrow we will have more time for God.  He tells us we deserve a break from serving God.  He tempts us with stuff that will never satisfy our soul.  He looks to confuse and cause division.  He deceives us with partial truths and we have not spent enough time in God’s word to know we are being deceived.

Be hearers – read and study God’s word

Be doers – obey God’s word

Living for God is intentional

Genesis 6:11  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Genesis 7:1     Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

Genesis 13:13     Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

Ezekiel 8:17   Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger?

Hosea 4:1-2     Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;  there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Psalms 11:5    The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Romans 2:13     For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Deuteronomy 6:3    Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

2 Chronicles 34:27    because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.

Deuteronomy 30:12-14     It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

James 2:21-25     Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;  and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.  You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Luke 1:6    And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

One would think that the more wrong a person sees being done that they would become more and more concerned about doing what is right.  Yet it seems as though the more we see and hear of wrong it just sets a new norm and dilutes and clouds and blinds us to what is right.

In the early 80’s I can remember an older pastor friend telling me that something troubled him.  He said that he had realized that the church (christians) always seemed to be 10 to 15 years behind what the culture was adopting.  What was not acceptable became questionable which became acceptable over time.

As a culture walks blindly further and further away from God, it seems to drag, pull and entice the church (individual christians) along the same path.  The path of what a life of humble service, heart honoring, mind and soul following, and heart deep obeying God, is over grown with false truth, false hope, and false behaviors.

What must happen to capture the hearts of individuals to keep pure to the truth of God’s word.  The serpent said it cleverly “did not God say…” using enough of God’s word to make sense of a lie and entice Adam and Eve to sin.  There are plenty in this world who can twist the word of God into lies and leave many questioning what is true and honorable in the sight of God.

How do we stay unpolluted from a culture that is running at warp speed away from God?  Reading His word with a heart like David when he said

“Search me, God, and know my heart;
 test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 See if there is any offensive way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting.”

With so much technology and immediate sharing of thoughts and ideas through media outlets, it is no wonder confusion to what is pure, holy, right and true happens.  One would think the easiest way to stop this downward spiral would be to get back to a simpler life without all of the technology.  History would tell us this is not true, for the heart of man seems to have always been set on satisfying self and denying God.

One would think that seclusion away from interference and influence of others who do not know God might help.  We only have to look at Adam and Eve,  Cain and Able, and the 40 years of God’s people in the wilderness to know that the heart of mankind, when yielded to, will choose to follow what is right in their own mind and for their own satisfaction whether for good or evil.

Choice has been given to each human.  This choice allows them determine to follow their sinful nature or to humbly submit to honoring, serving, following and obeying God.

Spend time in His word – live for Him – seek Him – desire Him – love Him -learn from Him – honor Him – follow Him – obey Him – listen to Him – worship Him – glorify Him – want to be lead by Him – Grow in knowledge and understanding of Him.

Living for self is natural.  Living for God is intentional.

Doers of the Word

What keeps us from being more than hearers of the word?  Do we treat our commitment to being doers like New Years resolutions? People are trying to find something to give purpose (light) to their lives.   We are to be the light, isn’t it a shame to let that light shine every day.  Will we fail some days, absolutely.  Each of our lives have to be more than a partial commitment (a light so dim that it has no effect in the darkness).   Our desire must be to know, live, honor and glorify God continually.

Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven

Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

James 1:22
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves

Luke 6:46
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you