True Christians are People of Action - March 6, 2022

By Pastor Chuck Ryan.

True Christians are People of Action
Text: James 1:19-25
Thesis: Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14:15 NIV 1983
1. God reveals to us through James that just listening is not enough.
• “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22
A. James states earlier, “Everyone should be quick to listen” but this is
only the beginning.
B. James adds to this command: “do what it says.”
• Jesus states it another way: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14:15 NIV 1983
1. God is not interested in cheap talk or your ability to memorize knowledge; He demands
action and obedience.
• “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they
have been taught.”
Isaiah 29:13
C. James gives an illustration of this kind of person in verses 23 & 24:
• He states: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who
looks at his face in a mirror, and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like.”
1. You can read the Word daily and attend Church every time the doors are open but unless you
become obedient to the Word it is meaningless and you “deceive
yourself.”
“It is not how high you jump on Sunday morning that counts but how straight you walk when
you leave the Church!”
Unknown
2. God is calling people to be “born-again” and live “holy” lives.
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word
planted in you, which can save you.”
James 1:21
A. To be “born-again” you must do more than listen to the Word. You must repent of your
sin (Revelation 3:19) and invite Jesus into your life (Revelation 3:30).
B. God is calling every Christian to live “holy” lives.
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because
I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15-16
C. The Apostle Paul states God is calling Christians to consecrate their lives to God.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform
to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2