In James 1:22-26 NLT we read, But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
God’s Word is a perfect mirror. If we spend time in it we will see what God sees.
Question: Why do you think women are more excited than men when it comes to Bible study? A survey showed that 43% of women study the Bible weekly or daily compared to 29% of men. Do we think we don’t need it? Are we trying to prove we’re self-reliant?
Note: Mike Flynn, author of Holy Vulnerability, wrote in the second chapter of his book, “In seminary, I was trained to “criticize” the Bible. I’m sure that the intent of my professors was not that I attack God’s Word as an enemy, but that I bring intellectual and scholarly resources as lenses through which to examine it. But three years of this approach flavored my attitude – though I scarcely recognized it – toward Scripture. By the time I had been in the ministry for several years, the Bible held no more real authority for me.
If it was the “Word of God,” I reasoned that there were also many other sources. And if I did not like something the Bible stated, I dismissed it as the no-longer-appropriate cultural bias of its human writers. In addition to telling the Lord that I would no longer criticize His Word, I told Him that henceforth, I would believe His Word until it was certain it had let me down.
Over the next few weeks, an eerie enlargement of my understanding began to occur. None of us has a mind capable of understanding the full spectrum of reality. Reality is infinite but our minds are finite. Before repenting of my criticism of the Bible, my problem had been that I refused credence to anything that I couldn’t understand. It seems rather childish now, but my attitude was, “If I can’t understand it, it doesn’t exist.” But then that sliver of understanding began to widen. I found I could understand things that had been mysteries to me before.”
In 1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT Paul wrote, But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
Mike Flynn said, “I remember in seminary, trying with all my might to understand what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus in John three (vs. 1-7). There we read, There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’”
Flynn continued, “One night I decided to crack this text open. I embanked myself with rows of commentaries, reading and re-reading what they said. But I drew a complete blank on the phrase ‘born again’. What could Jesus have meant by that statement?
Finally, I put my forehead on my Bible, as though I could grasp it by osmosis. But I gave up, utterly frustrated, and certain that the Bible was unapproachable at significant points. But now I saw it! My spirit died when Adam had sinned. God had warned him: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (Genesis 2:17)
· It was man’s spirit that died that day, not his soul or body, even though in time death would also claim man’s body.
· Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 wrote, So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Mike Flynn said, “It wasn’t that I deserved it or didn’t deserve it. It was simply part of the package of being human. And I could see that to welcome Jesus Messiah willfully into my heart was what it meant “to be born again” of God’s Spirit.”
Then he asks, What was the difference between my two experiences with the Bible – one in seminary and the second that had just occurred? In seminary, I tried to understand Scripture with intellect. Then when I took that difficult step for a modern man and deliberately put aside my intellect, I became vulnerable, and God’s Word opened up for me. There was an enlargement of my understanding, a growth that did not come through academic attainment but through spiritual enlightenment and obtainment. Whereas before I had been blind to it, now I could see clearly. What’s more, I now have a dawning awareness that there could be an anchor in this life, something I could hitch myself to that would stand fast, no matter what winds were blowing. God Himself is, of course, that anchor.”
Question: What has been your experience? Have you truly been born again spiritually?
Paul in Ephesians 2:1-3 wrote, Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
Note: When we are born again spiritually, we begin to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness. We begin to crave God’s Word and begin to grow in our relationship with God.
· We want to honor Him and please Him.
· We want to serve Him and others.
· We want to become more and more like Him.
Some thoughts about God’s Word as we wrap this up.
· It is a gift that results in life. James 1:18 – He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.
· Through His word we have been grafted into the true grapevine. John 15:1 – I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
· When we are grafted in, God’s Word begins to have an impact on our walk and our talk. James 1:19-20 – Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. Listen to what James 1:21-22 says about our behavior as we are vulnerable with God. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
· There is a real contrast between pretending to be spiritual and being an authentic Christian. James 1:26-27 – If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Are you willing to be vulnerable before God and His Word? Are you producing fruit?
Are you willing for God to prune you so that you can bear much fruit?
