Our Appearance in the Mirror of Our Hearts

1. Our Appearance in the Mirror of Our Hearts James 1:21-25

2. I. The Power of the Word of God • James himself writes, • “…which can save you.” • The Word of God has the power to save our souls. • God’s Word has eternal affects for our lives.

3. I. The Power of the Word of God • The saving power of God’s Word is found in its ability to: • Create anew • 1 Peter 1:22-25; James 1:18 • Sanctify • Psalm 19:7-11; John 17:15-17 • Preserve • Psalm 119:9,11; Acts 20:28-32

4. Like a seed, the value of “the implanted word" can only be realized when certain conditions are met.

5. Benefiting from the Powerful Word of God • There are things we must lay aside! (21a) • “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…” • “Put to death…whatever belongs to your earthly nature” Colossians 3:5-9 • For the Word of God to bear its fruit in our lives, the "weeds of sin" must first be uprooted.

6. Benefiting from the Powerful Word of God • We must have a proper attitude (21b) • “…and humbly accept the word” • That’s the “soil” necessary for God’s Word to take root • For the Word of God to bear its fruit in our lives, the "weeds of sin" must first be uprooted. • Remembering these two things helps us to remain humble: • We are sinners too. • We can be easily deceived also. • We study God’s word to save ourselves and those around us.

7. Benefiting from the Powerful Word of God • The Word must be “planted” in our hearts (21b) • The planted Word is the saving Word. • We need to take the words out of the pages and implant them into our hearts. • A distinguishing feature of the those under the New Covenant is that the Word of God is to be written in their hearts - Hebrews 8:6-13 • Where is the Word of God today?

8. Benefiting from the Powerful Word of God • The Word must be applied in our lives (22-25) • We must be “doers of the Word and not hearers only” • Otherwise, we deceive ourselves • God is not deceived • Nor is the devil • Most likely our kids see through us • And so will others around us

9. Benefiting from the Powerful Word of God • The Word must be applied in our lives (22-25) • Notice that true blessing from the Word comes: • NOT by “looking intently into the perfect law that gives freedom” alone • BUT by “continuing to do this,” and being a doer of the work. • God’s Word tells us who we truly are, and our security in our identity is expressed in our obedience to Christ.

10. Conclusion: • Notice James calls the Word of God the “perfect law of freedom.” (25) • This is because it’s power to: • Create Anew • Sanctify • Preserve • …thus providing true freedom: liberation from the guilt and slavery of sin! • This power comes from the message it contains: The Gospel of Jesus Christ (God’s power unto salvation – Ro 1:16)

11. Conclusion: • You’ve heard it, but hearing it is not enough! • Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness: REPENT (Acts 17:30-31) • Receive the message with humility: BELIEVE (John 3:16) • Become a “doer of the Word”: OBEY HIS COMMANDS AND BE BAPTIZED (Hebrews 5:9; Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19) Remember who you are and never forget. Amen!