James Lesson 4
James (The Implanted Word of GOD)
James 1:18-27

Junior/Adult Level

January 21, 2018

This week we will continue in James and learn and understand the importance of being doers of GOD’S Word and not just hearers only.  I pray this blesses you and helps you to produce much fruit of THE HOLY SPIRIT.


Handout: James (Fill Me Up)


18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
A kind of firstfruits…We have taught lessons and heard lessons about this before, that GOD wants us to be fruitful, and James teaches us that our anger, if we don’t get it under control does NOT produce the righteousness of GOD, it is not a fruit of The Holy Spirit.  We have learned about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5, which is…
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Paul goes on to write in Galatians that if we live in the Spirit we will walk in the Spirit.  We were created and born on this earth to bear fruit for GOD, to show JESUS to a lost and dying world, simple as that.  I had a dear, precious, sister in Christ once tell me that she wanted to know her purpose, it was a burden in her heart because GOD had not revealed to her the purpose for which she was here.  I struggled with the same thing until GOD showed me that all I had to do was walk in and live in His Spirit daily and when I began to do that everyday and made it my number one priority to just please HIM everyday and Seek HIM first (Matthew 6:33) then He planted those seeds in me and then I understand that I was supposed to write and teach His word. 
It will be the same for you, not everyone is called to teach or preach or sing.  GOD has different jobs for us to do but the only way we can understand our calling is to walk in HIS Spirit and to seek HIM first everyday with all our hearts and HE will bring us to the place that we were created for!  HE IS AMAZING!
 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Now we will go back to verse 21 later in this lesson but right now looking at verses 22-24
James is teaching us to work.  Now that does not mean that we have to work for salvation.  We know that salvation is a free gift of GOD not of our works.  Lets go to Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which GOD hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

What Paul is saying is that GOD saved us by HIS grace when we believed and asked, and we can’t take any credit for it because it is a gift from GOD, nothing we did.  Salvation is not a reward for good works that we have done because we can’t be good enough; it is pure grace from GOD.  We are GOD’S creations and He gave us freely salvation which JESUS CHRIST paid for with HIS life on the cross, and when we ask for that salvation, GOD places HIS HOLY SPIRIT on the inside of us so that we CAN do those good works and glorify GOD.  We can then bring HIM the glory with our lives that HE so rightly deserves because of the indwelling Holy Spirit that enables us to do so.  We can’t do that alone because remember what The Word of GOD tells us in Isaiah 64:6?

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Dear one, if you believe that you can be good enough on your own to get into Heaven without JESUS CHRIST, you are sadly deceived.  Our righteousness is dirty.  It takes JESUS CHRIST putting HIS righteousness inside us for us to be worthy.  That isn’t fun for our flesh man to hear, that we just aren’t good enough, but it’s a beautiful thing if you can understand that GOD loves us so much that HE wanted us to be bonded to HIM, HE wants us to depend upon HIM because HE wants to cradle us in HIS arms and pull us close to HIMSELF and love us and protect us and take us HOME to live with HIM so HE made a way to free us from SIN and to bond us to HIMSELF and HIS PRECIOUS SON JESUS CHRIST!  HE IS THE ONLY WAY!

Now having written that, let’s understand that the writing of Paul and of James go together.  They may seem as if they contradict one another but they do not.  Paul makes us understand that we are saved by grace through faith and that it is a gift of GOD, then James makes us understand that after we are saved that is not just it.  We are saved for a purpose, we are saved to serve GOD and work for HIM.  We are to produce fruit.

James pretty much tells us in James 1:22-24 the message is don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

This brings us back to James 1:21 “ 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Verse 20 has told us that our anger does not produce good fruit of The Spirit and then James goes on in verse 21 to tell us to get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives and to humble accept The Word of GOD that HE has planted in our hearts.  The King James Version that we used here says the engrafted word.  That means the implanted word, The Word GOD has planted in us. 
James is trying to make us understand that we are not just to read GOD’S Word and hear it and then go home and stay the same as we always were.  We are to read it and hear it and let it get planted in us, or DO WHAT IT SAYS!  Beth Moore writes this and I have to share it with you because it is so good.  She writes…
“We can underline our Bibles till our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives.  The self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed.  The tricky part is that hearing all by itself really does lend a certain satisfaction.  Think about the last time you closed your eyes and listened to an instrument that nearly brought you to tears.  Something similar can happen when we listen to Scripture being read or a message being taught.  The hearing itself can be satisfying.  The world of GOD, however, is meant to do more than penetrate.  It’s meant to activate.  It can bore holes through obstacles.  It can tumble defenses.  It can plan wandering feet of clay in places of divine purpose.  It can sanctify the sin sick and steady the aimless and confused.  It can light a blazing torch in a black hole.  Simply put, The Word was meant to work. And, through it, we were meant to bear fruit.” (Beth Moore)
When I read that, it gripped my heart because she is exactly right!  The Word moves our hearts…it stirs us, but unless we allow it to get implanted in us, we will not change!  It was meant to change us. 
This past week I started a potted garden.  Some have flowers, some vegetables.  My husband made me a raised garden box so that I can grow vegetables.  Now I went online and heard exactly what to do to get the best harvest, I have articles with tips on how to plant my garden and get the best results, and I went and bought seed and soil and I placed containers out in the rain the other day in order to have rain water for my garden on the days when it doesn’t rain.  I can be very excited and dream about cooking for my family with the produce from my garden and it moves me and it makes me feel good, but unless I actually get out side and get my hands in that soil and plant those seeds and water them and care for them, then all the wishing and hoping and learning in the world will not produce a harvest.  So yesterday evening, until dark I was outside with my hands in that dirt and I was placing those seeds in the soil and doing the work so that I can have results.  This principle goes with everything in life.  Wishing and hearing about does not produce results alone, it’s the work that brings the result.  This is what James is trying to teach us.  Yes, we are saved by grace through faith and it is a free gift of GOD for us, but unless we hear GOD’S Word and actually let it get planted in us and do what it says, we will not mature and produce fruit for The Kingdom.  We have to let it get implanted in us and do the work for it to grow.
Understand this.  Knowledge is hearing and reading GOD’S Word, Wisdom is putting into action and doing what GOD says.  The two work together, just like Paul’s teaching and the teaching of James, Hear, receive Salvation the free gift, and work and do what GOD says in HIS Word and we will produce the fruit of The Spirit and bring GOD glory in our lives.  That is how we make our lives here on earth count!  Laying up treasures in Heaven and taking someone with us.  Make GOD your priority, seek HIM and HIS righteousness first.  Do what HE says and all the other stuff will fall into place. 
Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.  But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
Now remember what James 1:25 told us?
James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
We all want the blessings of GOD, and this is the recipe on how to get those blessings.  It’s a promise of GOD.  Look intently, that means to seek GOD’S WORD and HIS will with all your heart, like looking at something through a magnifying glass, seeking every detail, and continue to study it and do what it tells you not forgetting it, getting it in our hearts and doing what it says…WE WILL BE BLESSED!  Praise The LORD.  HE IS FAITHFUL AND HIS PROMIES ARE TRUE.
Simply put, if I want GOD’S blessing on what I do, I must be obedient.  If my garden is to grow and produce the harvest I want, I must do the work and in due time I will reap if I continue to do the work everyday.  I want that harvest, but most importantly I desire a good harvest in my life for The LORD.  Don’t you want that too?  To be able to lay a bountiful harvest over and over to GOD and to JESUS CHRIST for what they have done for you?  I sure do.  How sad it would be at the end of our lives here on earth to go before GOD in the next world and have nothing to show for the time we spent here.  I want to hear from HIM, Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of The LORD! 
I love you all and I’m praying for you.
Heavenly Father,
 
Thank You for Your Word and for the promises You have given us.  Thank You for the instructions that teach us how You want us to live. Help us to live by them everyday and to bring a bountiful harvest for you over and over again while we are here.  We are only here for a short time, help us make it count.  We love You and praise You for loving us and helping us and for You JESUS and for You Holy Spirit.  We desire to bring You glory because You are worthy!  In JESUS name we pray.  Amen.