1. 1 Be Mature Don’t Kidding Yourself Chapter 4 James 1: 19 - 27

2. 2 Emphasis: “deceiving your own selves” James 1:22 “Spiritual reality results from the proper relationship to God through God’s Word” Three Responsibilities: –Receive the Word (1:19-21) God’s Word’s as engrafted word (21), or implanted word Comparison of God’s Word to seed and human heart (Matt 13:1-9) –The hard heart: does not understand or receive God’s Word –The shallow heart: very emotional, but no depth and fruit –The crowded heart: no repentance & sin to crowd out God’s Word –The fruitful heart: receive the Word, permit to take root, & produce a bountiful harvest of fruit

3. 3 –The final test of salvation: fruit »Changed life, Christian character & conduct, & ministry to others –Fruit: »Winning souls to Christ (Romans 1:16) »Growing in holy living (Romans 6:22) »Sharing material possessions (Romans 15: 28) »Spiritual character (Gal 5:22-23) »Good works (Col 1:10) »Praising the Lord (Hebrews 13:15) Take heed what you hear (Mark 4:24) Take heed how you hear (Luke 8:18) Swift to hear –Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17)

4. 4 Slow to speak –Two ears and one mouth: listening more than speaking –He that hath knowledge spareth his words (Prov. 17:27) Slow to wrath (1:19) –Prov. 14:29 – He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalted folly. –Peter with sword –Church fights: short temper & hasty words –Godly anger (Eph 4: 26) –Anger is the opposite of patience Prepared heart –Superfluity of naughtiness: overgrown weeds –Confessing our sins (I John 1:9)

5. 5 Meditating on God’s love & grace and asking to plow up any hardness –Jeremiah 4:3 – Break up the fallow ground, and sow not among the thorns. Attitude of meekness (humbleness) (1:21) –Practice the Word (1:22-25) The doing brings blessing, not hearing. Mirror –Examination (23-25) »See ourselves as we really are in God’s Word »Mistakes: »They merely (only) glance (look) at themselves »Photograph vs. X-ray »They forgot what they see »Isaiah 6:5 Woe is me! For I am undone

6. 6 »Peter - Depart from me for I am a sinful man (Luke 5:8) »Job (Job 42:6) »They fail to obey what the Word of God tell them to do »Reading vs. Doing »Require time, attention, and sincere devotion »Great Physician (Matt 9:12) »Perfect law of liberty (25) »John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. –Restoration (Exodus 38:8) »Laver between the brazen altar & the holy place

7. 7 »Water for washing: Word of God in its cleansing power »John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. »John 13: 1-11 Hands & feet are defiled as believers »Blood cleansed our guilt while water of Word cleanses away defilement »II Samuel 12-13 David & adultery and murder »Revelation of sin leads to results of confession and repentance »Repentance leads to assurance of forgiveness and cleansing –Transformation (II Cor. 3:18) »Changed: metamorphosis »Change on outside comes from inside

8. 8 » Rom. 12:2 … be ye transformed by renewing of the mind. »Process, not overnight –Share the Word (1:26-27) Religion: outward practice, the service of a god Pure religion: practicing and sharing God’s Word with others through speech, service, & separation from the world –Speech (1:26) »Tongue, a serious problem »Tongue reveals the heart (Matt. 12: 34-35) »If heart is right, speech is right –Service (1:27a) »After seeing ourselves in God’s Word, we see others & their needs »Isaiah saw the Lord, then himself, & then the people to whom he would minister (Isa. 6: 1-8)

9. 9 –Separation from the world (1:27b) »The world: society without God »Friendship of the world (James 4:4) leads to love for the world (I John 2: 15-17)