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A Two-Fold Responsibility

Scripture Passage: 
James 1:21-25

Introduction: The vast majority of Christianity feels as though it fulfills its obligation to the Lord by going to the meeting house on Sunday morning and listening to a message. They quickly rush out the doors to try to get a place at the beginning of the meal line at their favorite restaurant. It doesn’t take long before any memory of the word heard begins to fade, and their lives remained unchanged.

  1. THE CALL TO SALVATION (James 1:21)
    1. A Call to Repent
      1. Lay apart all filthiness
      2. Lay apart superfluity of naughtiness
    2. A Call to Receive
      1. The manner of reception – “with meekness”
      2. The object of reception – “the engrafted word”
      3. The outcome of reception – “which is able to save your souls”
  2. THE CALL TO OBEDIENCE (James 1:22-25)
    1. A Warning of Deception (James 1:22)
      1. Hearing the words while refusing to obey them will lead to personal deception.
      2. Hearing is merely the beginning of a Christian’s duty.
      3. A believer who hears the truth, but does not follow through is deceived.
        1. Either by thinking the truth heard is not truth at all
        2. Or by losing the feeling of conviction felt when hearing the truth, hereby thinking everything is okay
    2. A Forgetful Hearer (James 1:23-24)
      1. Hearing the word of God is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (James 1:23).
      2. When a man is a hearer only, he beholds himself on goeth on his way forgetting what manner of man he is (James 1:24).
    3. A Blessed Life (James 1:25)
      1. By looking into the perfect law of liberty
      2. By continuing therein

Conclusion: Have you received the engrafted word? If so, are you fulfilling the dual obligation to both hear and do the words of God?

Andrew Ray

Daily Proverb

Proverbs 28:10

Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.