Sermon Video: Do what the Word says - James 1:22-25

We have all experienced the distinction between listening and hearing.  Parents and wives of husbands watching football are familiar with this phenomenon.  How do we know if somebody is actually hearing what has been communicated to them?  For James, regarding the Word of God, the answer is simple: those who hear are those who obey.  If we don't do what God's Word tells us to do, our knowledge is merely self-deception.  We must be a people who live in obedience to God.
Humanity has a tremendous capacity for self-denial and refusal to accept even patently obvious truths in our willful stubbornness.  However, as Christians, we cannot put our will above that of God.  When we walked in darkness we were incapable of obedience to God, our sin nature enslaved us, but now that we've been transformed by the Holy Spirit, not only is our obedience possible, it is necessary.
In the end, our own will is not freedom, it is merely slavery to sin, and obeying God may be self-denial, but it is also self-fulfillment, for in obedience to God do we find freedom and a life of purpose.

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