Be Doers Of The Word

Amen. Well, how many of you have enjoyed your Memorial weekend so far? It’s been awesome. I’ve enjoyed the temperatures, the beautiful weather. We have a lot to give thanks to the Lord for — and for all those who have fought and served in the military, we just thank you as well. And I’m just so thankful to live in a country where we can worship the Lord freely. Amen. That is not true everywhere. In fact, I shared a message not too long ago about the persecution that’s happening all throughout the world — people who are preaching the gospel, who are literally in prisons and continue to preach the gospel in prison. But we have a freedom and a capacity to really come together, and may we never take that for granted.

I think sometimes we treat church as an option, or we treat a time of worship as just something that I can get to. But number one, that’s really not appreciative of the capacity that we have to come and worship the Lord. And how many of you know He really deserves our best and our everything? Amen. For us to have hearts that would say, “Well, I’ll just treat the Lord as a convenience” — may we just never go there, because when we do that, we really lose the heart and the capacity to receive from Him. And so if you want to receive from Him, we just continue to give our hearts to Him. Amen.

A practical book for living out our faith

All right. Well, if you have your Bibles, we’re going to continue in our study of the Book of James this morning. We began a study in the Book of James a couple weeks ago, and we’re going through it verse by verse, and it is going to be a good time. The Book of James was written to a church, and it was one of the first New Testament books that was actually written. It was written to the Jewish church that was in Jerusalem. And it really is an exhortation, an encouragement — a very practical book on how believers are to live out their Christian faith.

There are a lot of people who sometimes read it and they’re like, “Man, I don’t know. It seems like there’s a lot of works in there, and you have to earn it.” How many of you know we don’t earn our salvation? And that’s really not what James is saying. But when we receive the gift of salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ, it really should look like something in our lives. Amen. When you are truly changed on the inside — how many of you would say you’ve had a life-changing experience before? When you have that moment, it affects how you live. It affects how you see things. It affects how you do things.

And really, our salvation from the Lord is no different. In fact, it’s much greater, because not only do you have a moment or an encounter with the Lord, but how many of you know when you give your life to Jesus, your spirit is reborn? Amen. You’re a new creation. The old things have passed. Behold, all things are new. And not only that, He puts His Spirit on the inside of you. And so we have this triple whammy, that when we give our life to the Lord, it should look like something. Amen. We shouldn’t be talking the same. And it’s not that we don’t have struggles. It’s not that all of a sudden we give our life to Jesus and now everything’s perfect, because it’s not. But we have the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth and to empower us to live in a way that honors Him. Amen. We need the Holy Spirit. We need the Holy Spirit. Amen.

All right. So we’re going to start today in James chapter 1, at verse 19, and it says this: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Let’s pray. Lord, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, we thank You that it is alive. It is active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit. Lord, Your Word is life to us. And Holy Spirit, we ask that You would open up Your Scriptures to us, that they would be life to us today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

So James starts, and he says, “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” We talked a little bit about how the Book of James has a lot of similarities to the Book of Proverbs, because there are a lot of short, quick statements that are really meant to bring wisdom to our life. And James wastes no time getting right into it. I don’t know about you, but sometimes you read those verses and you’re like, “Ooh, I need to work on that.” And this is one of those. Brethren, be slow to wrath, or anger.

According to Scripture, as believers, there is something that we can learn, which is to be slow to anger. How many of you get angry from time to time? And I think the thing is that when we get angry, it’s usually because it’s something that is important to us, something of value to us. But a lot of times we get stuck in an angry heart, a heart that is full of wrath, because it has more to do with ourselves than others. It’s usually because something affects my preference, my agenda, my time. And if that gets affected, or people start to step on that, there is something in me that rises up called anger. And according to Scripture, the way that we counter being quick to anger is being swift to hear and slow to speak.

How many of you know Jesus was the ultimate other-centered person? Many of us are self-centered, but Jesus was the ultimate other-centered person. Now, if there was anybody in the history of the world that had every right to speak their mind, how many of you know it was Jesus, the Son of God? If anybody could bring His opinion to any situation, it was Jesus. He had every right. He was justified. He was perfect. He could go to any person and start condemning them. He could start pointing the finger. He could say things like, “Why are you sitting? What are you doing? Stop that. Do this.” But how many of you know Jesus often began His interactions with a question? “What is it that you want? What do you really need?” Sometimes we think we know what we need, but how many of you know the Lord really knows what we need?

And Jesus was the ultimate other-centered person. He was quick to listen and slow to speak. We see it. When people were in need of healing, He would say, “What is it that you want?” And they would say, “That I might see.” And what would He say? “Be healed.” There is something about getting our eyes off ourselves and putting them onto others, where we are swift to listen, where we’re slow to speak. And it does something in us, so that we can now walk in a way that honors God by being slow to anger, slow to wrath.

I don’t know about you, but there have been times where I have misunderstood people’s intentions. I see an outward behavior and I find myself standing in offense, but I’ve never actually talked to the person. Maybe there was a mistake, or maybe there was some sort of misunderstanding. How many of you have been misunderstood, and people assumed the worst about you, not really giving you an opportunity to share your heart or to apologize? There is something inviting, something that happens in us, when we are quick to listen and slow to speak.

Many of you have probably heard the joke before: we have two ears and one mouth — meaning you should really be listening twice as much as you should be talking. Sometimes that’s a difficult thing, but this is exactly what James is saying. He’s saying, be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. In other words, live your life in a way where you aren’t consumed by yourself, where it’s not all about you. Be other-centered. And if you are slow to speak and swift to hear, you will be other-centered.

So why do we need to be slow to wrath? Well, we see that in the second part of verse 20. It says, “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” In other words, we need to be slow to wrath because our wrath does not accomplish the righteousness of God. We like to think that when we’re angry, it’s justified — that we’re right and everybody else is wrong. We think that the things that anger us are actually the things that anger God. And that is true sometimes. But I think a lot of times, again, we get focused on self, and with the things that enrage us, God’s like, “Don’t even worry about that. Put your eyes on Me.” And so typically our wrath becomes more about ourselves and our agenda, not others. So, using this wisdom that James is giving us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he says, let us be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

Receive the implanted word with meekness

Verse 21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” He starts by saying, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness.” James is immediately addressing our outward behaviors and an impure manner of living.

Last week we talked about the nature of temptation — how we are able to overcome temptation that comes into our lives, where it comes from, and what it looks like. And James is going there again. He’s saying, “Listen, put aside all that filth. There was a way about you before you knew the Lord. There was a way about you before you were born again. Don’t just go back into those old behaviors. Don’t just continue in the ways of the world. Rid yourself of all of those things.” So James is again reiterating the importance of putting those things aside. Why? Because God’s ways, and what God has for us, are so much better than all those things. And so it should be our pursuit to rid ourselves of all filthiness and overflow of wickedness.

But notice there is a contrasting opportunity that’s available to us here. He says, put all of that aside, “and receive with meekness the implanted word.” How many of you know there is something that has been given to us called the Word of God? Amen. But there is a way for us to receive it properly. I think a lot of times we think just because we’re in the room, God’s Word is doing something effective in us, or that somehow we’re gaining God’s approval with our attendance and not our heart. You see, there is a way to receive the Word of God, and James is calling it out. He’s saying you must be meek. In other words, you have to have a heart that is humble and teachable in order to receive the Word of God.

It is astounding to me how you can have two people sitting in a pew next to each other, and one person is being spoken to by God Himself. The Word of God is cutting their heart. You might see it on their face. There might be tears in their eyes, or there’s just this revelation. And the person right next to them can be completely distracted, because they’re on their phone and their heart isn’t really there. You see, it’s not enough to just be in the room. Amen. We have to have hearts that are teachable, that receive God’s Word.

And what’s so powerful here is that God’s Word is so pure. It’s so strong. It can save us and purify us and preserve us in an imperfect, impure age. I don’t know about you, but I am going through this life, and I need all the help I can get to keep my eyes on Him, to not get distracted. And what James is saying is, “Listen, this is a key. This is something that’s been given to you. Receive the Word. Let it be implanted into your heart.” How do you do that? With a teachable and humble heart. You see, it’s important for us to actually receive.

Charles Spurgeon says it this way — and we’re going to have this quote up on screen: “That word ‘receive’ is a very instructive gospel word; it is the door through which God’s grace enters to us. We are not saved by working, but by receiving; not by what we give to God, but by what God gives to us and we receive from Him.”

And so this is what we’re to do, understanding that there is impurity in this world. There’s impurity in us. There is a need for us to be able to walk right with God, and a primary way that we do that is by receiving with meekness the implanted word. And we see right after it the power of the Word of God — that when we receive it properly, when it gets implanted into our hearts, what can it do? It will save your soul. There are so many opportunities in our day-to-day lives for our souls and our hearts to get hijacked from the Lord. You can come in on a Sunday, but then you go out Sunday night, and all of a sudden there are opportunities to have your heart and your obedience and your faithfulness all hijacked from the Lord. And so the Word of God carries the power of God, and it is able to rescue us in this present age.

Doers, not hearers only

And so James goes into how to receive the Word of God. Verse 22 says this: “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 observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

There’s another call to obedience. Don’t just be hearers of the Word, but be doers. Now, James is not making a case that you should not be hearing the Word of God. It is good for us to be here today. Amen. It’s good for us to hear the Word of God. It’s good for us to receive this truth. But James is saying, “Listen, you must go further than that.” When you hear the Word of God, it should translate into your life. It should look like something. According to Scripture, if we think that it’s enough to just go to church and hear a message, but not actually allow His Word to change our life, then we’re deceiving ourselves. We must be doers.

How many of you know Jesus is not just looking for fans? He’s not looking just for people who approve of Him. Jesus is looking for disciples. He’s looking for people who say yes to Him — and don’t just say yes in word, but actually follow Him. What did Jesus say when He was on the Sea of Galilee, calling His disciples? He said, “Lay down your nets and follow Me.” He was saying, “Put aside all the things that you know. Put aside your identity. Put aside who you think you are, and follow Me.” And those who followed Him were forever changed. He’s not looking for fans. He’s looking for followers. He’s not looking for people’s attendance. He’s looking for people’s hearts.

And so when we gather together, it’s so important. That’s why we love to start our services — what’s one of the first things we do? We lift our hands to the Lord and we just say, “Lord, we give You everything.” You see, there’s something about positioning ourselves in a heart of surrender, a position of surrender, that does something in us. How many of you know God isn’t the one that moves? It’s usually our attention, our heart. And we get so distracted, and we go through a whole week, and maybe we haven’t spent time with Him. Maybe we haven’t gotten into His Word throughout the week. And so really the only time with Him has been on Sunday. And if we just come with our attendance, what good will this do? Because your heart’s so hard, and you’ve picked up so much stuff, that it’s in a place where it’s so difficult to receive.

So many people come to church and they’re like, “It’s not even really relevant. What does this even mean?” How many of you know God’s Word is eternal? It’s always relevant. It’s always true. And really, the condition isn’t Him. It’s not His heart. It’s not His faithfulness. It’s not His Word. The condition is our heart. He is giving Himself freely. He offers Himself. The question is, will we receive it? Will we receive? And so James is pointing out, this is what He’s after. This is what His desire is.

The house on the rock

There are a lot of parallels between the Book of James — a lot of references in the Book of James — and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew chapter 5 through Matthew chapter 7. And the way Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, in chapter 7, is this. This is one of my favorite portions of Scripture. Starting at verse 24, Jesus says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

You see, there is a call from the Lord Jesus Himself saying, “Listen, don’t just hear what I’m saying. Don’t just hear My Word. No, be doers of the Word. Whoever hears My sayings and does them, I will show you what he’s like. He is like a man who built his house on the rock.” And when the storm came — how many of you know the storms of life are real? Amen. How many of you know there are probably going to be days ahead, and there are going to be storms ahead? But how many of you know there is a promise to those who hear the Word and do it? What does it say? They will not be shaken. Jesus says, when the storms of life come, when you hear My Word and receive My Word and you do the things that I say — the way James says it is, “he will be blessed in what he does.” There is a way to go through this life blessed by the Lord, empowered by the Spirit. And James is saying, “Listen, when you receive His Word, it should look like something.”

James is saying, “Do not be deceived.” Because the one who is deceived — look at verse 23 — “is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” How many of you know if I was to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and see a big black spot on my forehead, and I go away from the mirror and do nothing about it, I did not receive the information from the mirror in a way that was actually effective for me? Okay, let me give you a more prime example. If I was to get up in the morning and look at my hair, and it was a mess, and I did not fix it, it wouldn’t be as awesome as it is, right? There is information that we’re to receive from the Word, but if we don’t actually use it or do something about it, it’s as though you’re looking in the mirror, seeing what needs to be done, but doing nothing about it. Let it not be so.

So we need to be doers and not just hearers. The word “observes” here in verse 24 means a careful scrutiny. So what James is talking about is people who give careful scrutiny to God’s Word, yet for whatever reason, they’re not actually doing what it says. Jesus Himself — what does He say? He says, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but you do not do what I say?” People were following Jesus in His earthly ministry. He was going all around, and people would follow Him. They would hear His teachings, time after time after time. And then they would ask Him for things, and Jesus was like, “We’ve been through this. Haven’t I told you? Have you not heard? Don’t you know who I am?” And I feel like we treat Jesus like that a lot, where we continually come and we’re following and we’re hearing, but because we don’t actually apply it to our lives, it’s not effective for us.

Did you know that the Lord wants you to live a blessed life? Did you know that? I think sometimes we get confused about what that means and what that actually looks like. But the Lord wants us to go through life blessed by Him. And we need to be people who don’t just say, “Lord, Lord, I love You. Lord, I worship You. Lord, I give You my heart,” but then when we go out, it looks no different. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me Lord, but you don’t do what I say?” How many of you know it’s important for us not to just be hearers, but to be doers? Amen.

The perfect law of liberty

Look at verse 25: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty” — in other words, the Word of God — “and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” I love the description here. “Whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty” — what a wonderful description of the Word of God. It is perfect. It is a law, but it is a law of liberty. In other words, there is no error in the Word. It’s perfect, which means what? It can be relied on. It can be looked to. It can be trusted. It’s reliable. It’s perfect.

But it is a law. Isn’t that interesting? In this new covenant that we have in the Lord Jesus, yes, it is by grace that we receive it. But there is this law. There is an expectation of obedience to the grace that you have received. But it is a law of liberty. Meaning what? That we can come freely into the presence of the Lord through the saving blood of Jesus, and we can receive from Him. It is a perfect law of liberty. And so it says, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” This is what God wants for you. He wants you to be blessed. But He wants us to be doers of the Word and doers of the work.

Bridle the tongue, care for others, stay unspotted

So what does this look like in everyday life? Now, James goes there. Starting in verse 26, he gives us some concrete examples of what it means to be doers of the Word and doers of the work. Starting at verse 26, it says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

There’s a lot to unpack here. Verse 26 says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious.” Sometimes we don’t like that word “religion,” because we all have a different context for what that actually means. We oftentimes say here, “It’s not about religion. It’s about relationship” — that this really isn’t about going through the motions. This isn’t about the standing, the sitting. This isn’t about what we give in an offering plate. The Lord really is after our hearts. He’s after relationship. He wants relationship with us.

But James is very direct here, saying “religion.” Again, this is being written to the Jewish church, the early church that had a Jewish background, and there was very much an idea of performance. My obedience was of high priority: “Am I doing what God has said?” And so there was this background of religion. But what he’s saying is, “Listen, whoever thinks he is religious — whoever thinks he is living in a way where he is following God — but does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

And so James has this understanding that he’s talking to people who are actually being serious about their walk of faith. Sometimes people might come in and kind of give their nod to God, but they’re not really taking it seriously. They don’t actually intend to do anything about it. They don’t intend for it to have an impact on their everyday life. But James is saying, “No, I’m assuming that you’re actually serious about your walk with the Lord.” And James is telling us that real religion is not shown by merely receiving or hearing the Word, but by doing it. And then he gives us these beautiful ways that we’re to do it.

Number one: bridle the tongue. It’s so interesting how little attention we give to the words that come out of our mouth. We think that they don’t really mean anything, or we even say things jokingly. But how many of you know Scripture says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”? Your heart is an indicator, a thermometer, of what’s actually in your heart. Is it full of the things of the world, or is it full of Him?

I don’t know about you, but when I’m walking with the Lord and I’m spending time with Him regularly, the way that I talk is naturally different. Rather than complaining about a situation or something that comes up, I find myself asking of Him and giving Him thanks. Rather than cursing a situation or having profane speech, I have praise coming out of my mouth. And James is giving us this key. He’s saying it is so important. If you cannot control your tongue — if you can’t control what is coming out of your mouth — this one’s religion, or walk with God, is useless.

Now, that’s a heavy thing, because this certainly includes profane speech. We need to watch the way in which we are talking. It is difficult, out of the same mouth, to give praise to God but then also have cursing coming out of our mouth. But this also includes deceit, lies, gossip — the things that come out of our mouth that do not bring honor or glory to God. And Scripture is saying, if you walk with God, it is useless if it doesn’t translate to how you walk, to how you talk, and to how you treat other people. And so there is this need to bridle the tongue. James has already spoken of some examples, but it includes being moderate, temperate, self-controlled in what we say.

And then James continues with another example in verse 27. He says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this” — in other words, this is what it looks like to be a doer — “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Do you want to be pure before the Lord? Do you want to have a real walk with Him? It should look like something. How are we actually treating others?

When I was reading through this last week, I asked myself — and it was probably the Holy Spirit; there was a check in me — when is the last time I actually went out of my way to help somebody else? Not as part of my routine. What I mean by that is, you could make an argument that by coming up here and teaching the Word of God, I’m helping people. But when have I gotten outside of myself and my routine to actually help somebody where it wasn’t convenient, where it didn’t fit into my plans, but because I saw a need, there was something in me that said, “No, I’m going to serve this person and love this person”? What would that look like?

I mean, if you were to sit here and hear that this is what it looks like to be a doer — to go outside of yourself and to give to the orphans, to give to the widows — what does it look like in your life? Because to be a doer is to be someone who’s received abundant grace, to be someone who continually receives freely from the Lord Himself. Jesus said, “Freely you have received” — what? — “freely give.” And so there should always be in the life of a believer not just receiving, but giving. This is pure, according to Scripture. This is pure and undefiled before God.

And he says, “and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” So pure and undefiled religion also has an aspect of personal holiness to it. In other words, you can have a life full of generosity, a life that is full of helping others. Let’s go to the other end of the spectrum. Maybe you are very active in social justice. Maybe you’re very active in giving and honoring the Lord with generosity. But if you are walking in sin, or sin is deep in your life, then it’s useless. It’s not either/or. It is both/and. Do you see this today?

And so James is giving this correction, because it’s very easy for us to go through life being self-centered. It’s very easy for us to go through life going through our routine, allowing our time of worship to be routine, but then we go out and we are no different. And James is saying, “Don’t let that be the way. Don’t you realize what you’ve received?” When you receive the gospel, when you receive the word of truth, let it be implanted into your heart. And the way that you know that it’s there, the way that you know you’re receiving, is that it comes out. It will come out. How? Through your words, through your actions. Walking with Jesus should look like something. Amen. It should look like something.

And so God wants us to have a loving concern for those who are in need, but He also wants us to have a concern for our personal holiness. It’s called sanctification.

The greatest achievement: loving Jesus

I keep saying this, but if there’s one thing that you leave here with today: the greatest achievement in your life is falling in love with Jesus. And some of you hear that and it wars with you: “No, my greatest achievement is my family, my children…” If you fall in love with Jesus, everything else comes into place. When you fall in love with the Lord, you will be a better husband. You will be a better wife. You will raise your children in a way that honors the Lord. You will have success in life, because you’re not just consumed by the rat race of making more money, but because you have a heart of generosity, you honor the Lord with the wealth that you’ve been given. The greatest accomplishment in life is loving Jesus. And I would say the follow-up is falling more in love with Him.

When you fall in love with Jesus, you want to live in a way that honors Him: “I love You so much, and I’ve received so much. Lord, I want to do it Your way.” Because the world’s going to have a lot of opinions on what is acceptable, on what is right, on what is necessary. But how many of you know the Lord’s ways are higher? He created you. He set all of this in order for us. And then He said what? He said, “Go and have dominion. Multiply. Be fruitful.” And somehow we take that as though we can do everything apart from Him, when really He should be everything. Amen.

And so what we want is not just to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. Why? Because it’s coming out of my love for Him. I want to know what He thinks about my life. I want to know what He says about my marriage. I want to know what He says about my career, and what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. And I think too oftentimes we get scared of that, or intimidated, saying, “Well, God’s just trying to control me.” How many of you know, if I have a young child and we’re at a park, and I say, “Don’t run into the middle of the road,” am I trying to control my child, or am I trying to keep them safe from the potential danger of crossing a road?

You see, Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life.” Scripture also says the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. In other words, the Lord is saying there are dangers out there that you don’t even know of. There are traps. There are snares. And just because you haven’t fallen yet doesn’t mean that you’re not on a dangerous road. Too often we allow ourselves as believers to walk the line on some things. We get real close to the edge, and we’re like, “Well, I do those things, but I’m not really addicted to those things.” But how many of you know the Lord is saying, “I have set a way for you to preserve your life. This world is full of darkness. It’s full of traps. It’s full of snares. And so you must know the path of life. Don’t just assume, ‘I’ve got this,’ because you don’t. I have come that you might have life. You must receive from Me. And if you can receive with humility what My Word says, then what? You will be blessed.” Why? Because you know the path of life.

I’ve said it before: my life is not perfect by any means. I have my own struggles. I have my own snares. I have things that I constantly wrestle with — attitudes, decisions, judgment, whatever. There are things in me. But I have committed in my heart that when those things rise up, I say, “Lord, I give this to You, because, Lord, I don’t want to just do it my way. I want to do it Your way.” And I know that I know that I know my life has been blessed because I chose His way and not my own. Do you see how this is important? Just little distractions will come in — little traps, little snares — to get us off course, to get us away from Him. But the Lord is saying, “No, I want you to come to Me. Don’t just hear My sayings. Receive them with meekness, and be doers of the Word.” And you will be blessed.

And this is how we know our hearts are in a really good place: we don’t just do the things He says to be blessed. We do it out of our love for Him. “Lord, the reason I’m doing this isn’t just because You promised that I’d be blessed. No, I’m doing it because You’ve already given me everything, and I’m choosing You.” Amen.

Let’s stand together. We’re going to close. I’m going to pray over you guys. With our eyes closed this morning and our heads bowed, I’m just going to ask that we lift our hands in a posture of surrender to the Lord.

Lord, we thank You for Your Word to us. Lord, we thank You that Your Word is life. Your Word is liberty. Your Word is true. And Lord, we pray that we would have hearts that are humble and meek and teachable, to receive what You are speaking. Lord, there are a lot of people in the room, and this can look different for a lot of people, but Holy Spirit, we thank You that You speak to us exactly what we need. Lord, we want to have hearts that honor You. We want to have lives that bring glory to You.

And Lord, I thank You that we don’t just go it alone — that it’s not just “try harder.” No, Lord, You’ve promised Your Spirit to come to strengthen us and to lead us. And so, Lord, we ask today for a fresh filling of Your Spirit. Lord, would You fill us to overflow right now, Lord Jesus, and help us to live in a way that honors You? Lord, I pray that the words that You are speaking to people’s hearts today would burn in us deeply. Let us not forget, Lord, but continue to call us and remind us of who You’ve called us to be, of who You’ve created us to be.

We thank You, Lord, that Your Word is power. It is the power of God — that Your Word is so powerful that it brings salvation to our souls. Lord, we thank You that You have given us everything that we need, that we don’t need to walk in despair or in darkness or death or confusion any longer, but that we can come to the throne of grace and receive life and light from You. And Lord, I pray for every person here today, Lord Jesus — that You would give us a pure hunger for You, a pure desire for You, Lord Jesus. Lord, give us such a love for You that we would have no other ambition — no ambition to live any other way, to partake in the things of this world, to walk in impurity — but, Lord, that we would walk righteously and humbly before You as people of God, people of the kingdom of light. And Lord, that You would use us for Your glory. In Jesus’ name we give You thanks and glory. Amen.

Transcribed from the message recording and lightly edited for reading.