Let us be Doers James 1:18-27


18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23. For 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:
24. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
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.
26. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.
27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Thoughts at this point from James 1:18.

1. vs 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James exhorts us to be the first fruits of his creatures. we are to be a sacrifice from our old life to our new life.2. Vs

2.19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

We need to be ready to listen. Slow to speak of others even in our thoughts. Slow to anger. It is often we are not ready to hear but we speak fast of others and then this brings us to anger. Let us not be used of Satan to be trapped in our own thoughts but rather ready to listen. Let us not be used of satan in our speaking of others. Nor let us, because of these things be lead to anger.All this can cause splits in families, marriages, friendships, and churches.

3. vs 20 it says that "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God"So, the wrath of man does not work in what God knows that is not right.

4. vs21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

So because that anger does not come from God in His righteousness. And that we need to listen intently and slow to speak, because anger does not come from His righteousness. Because of these things we need to lay apart or cast off filthiness and superfluity or an abundance of naughtiness. This naughtiness can come from a quick mouth, and from those who do not want to listen, which causes anger which is not from God's righteousness.

5. vs 22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Then James exhorts us to be doers of the word. We need to be not only poetic of what is said. But also in our thoughts we need to have a poetic thought life that reflects God's glory.

So here we go. So what we speak and what we say and what we think should reflect righteousness. we should not have that ecessive naughtiness coming from our mouths.

Going back to verse 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls

In the last part of this verse it says that we need to receive the engrafted word or the implanted word in speach and in thought. This is so different then to have the superfluity of naughtiness.

6. vs23. For 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:

24. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Here is a good illustration of what we will be like if we hear but do not do in our thought life and what comes from the mouth. He will forget what he was. If we do not hear intently. If we are not doers. We are going to leave what we hear and forget what we supposed to do. So James is exhorting us to be a poetic doer in thought in speach and I believe in a total being in His righteousness.

7. vs 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.

The person who stoops to the grazing of freedom and does not become a forgetful hearer but he is a doer in righteousness he will be blessed in his performance. Or he will be blessed by not becoming a forgetful hearer. And he will be blessed by being a doer of righteousness.

8. 26. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.

Hey we do not want a religion that is vain, But we need a righteousness that is in Christ.

9. Vs 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We need a pure religion that is not defiled by our lack of hearing or our lack of doing. We need one that is not of anger. How are we to do this? James encourages us to visit those that need comforting, and the widows ie, those that have no husband ( figuratively or literally). We have a Father who is our God. There are those that need the comfort of our own lives and the comfort that comes from God.

Let us be doers. let us hear intently. let us speak slowly of others. Let us keep our lives ready for His service ie Our Lord Jesus Christ.