Post by Char on Oct 24, 2008 17:42:17 GMT -6
TWO SORTS OF HEARERS
JAMES 1:22-25.Doers of the word, and not hearers only." James has no speculations, he is not satisfied with the buds of hearing, he wants the fruits of obedience. We need more of His practical spirit in this age. Preachers must preach as for eternity, and look for fruit; and hearers must carry out what they hear, or otherwise the sacred ordinance of preaching will cease to be the channel of blessing.
I. THE UNREST CLASS. They are hearers, but they are described as hearers who are not doers. They have heard a sermon on repentance, but they have not believed. They have heard the Gospel cry BELIEVE, but they have not believed. They know that he who believes purges himself from his old sins, yet they have had no purging, but abide as they were. Hearing of a feast will not fill you; hearing of a brook will not quench our thirst.
Next, these hearers are described as deceiving themselves........
You would very soon quit my door, and call me inhospitable if I gave you music instead of meat; and yet you deceive yourselves with the notion that merely hearing about Jesus and His great salvation has made you better men.
And then again, according to our text, these people are superficial hearers........
They are said to be like to a man who sees his natural face in a glass.
To see yourself as God would have you see yourself in the glass of scripture is something, but you must afterwards go to Christ for washing or your looking is very superficial work,
The text accuse these persons of being hasty hearers..."He beholds himself and goes his way.".
They never give the word time to operate, they are back to business back to idle chit-chat, the moment the service ends.
One other thing is said about them, namely, that they are very forgetful hearer-they forget what manner of men they are.......
They have heard the discourse, and there is an end of it.
I have described certain hearers, and I fear we have many such in all congregation; admiring hearers, but all the while unblest hearer, because they are not doers of the word..
One thing they lack–they have no faith in Christ.
Are you going to be like Solomon’s friends the Turians who helped to build the temple and yet went on worshiping their idols?
II. BLESSED HEARERS—THOSE WHO GET THE BLESSING.
Now notice that this hearer who is blest is, first of all, and earnest, eager, humble hearer.
He does not look upon the law of liberty and go his way, but he looketh into it.
He hears of the gospel, and he says, "I will look into this."
He searches as men do who are looking after diamonds or gold.
That is the right kind of hearer—and earnest listener whose senses are all aroused to receive all that can be learned.
It is implied, too, that he is a thoughtful, studious, searching hearers, he looks into the perfect law.
He is sacredly curious—he inquires; he pries. He asks all those who should know. He likes to get with old Christians to hear their experience.
He loves to compare spiritual things with spiritual, to dissect a text and see how it stands in relation to another, and to its own parts, for he is earnest when he hears the Word.
Looking so steadily he discovers that the gospel is a law of liberty; and indeed it is so.
There is no joy like the joy of pardon, there is no release like release from the slavery of sin, there is no freedom like the liberty of holiness, the liberty to draw near to God.
But it is added that he continues therein.
If you hear the gospel and it does not bless you, hear it again.
If you have read the word of God and it has not saved you, read it again.
It is able to save your soul.
Lastly, it is added that this man is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, and he shall be blessed in his deed.
Is he bidden to repent? He asks God to enable him to repent. He turns everything that he hears into practice. He formed holy habits and a noble character, and became a blessed hearer of the Word. Good night and God bless. (James Shoemake
JAMES 1:22-25.Doers of the word, and not hearers only." James has no speculations, he is not satisfied with the buds of hearing, he wants the fruits of obedience. We need more of His practical spirit in this age. Preachers must preach as for eternity, and look for fruit; and hearers must carry out what they hear, or otherwise the sacred ordinance of preaching will cease to be the channel of blessing.
I. THE UNREST CLASS. They are hearers, but they are described as hearers who are not doers. They have heard a sermon on repentance, but they have not believed. They have heard the Gospel cry BELIEVE, but they have not believed. They know that he who believes purges himself from his old sins, yet they have had no purging, but abide as they were. Hearing of a feast will not fill you; hearing of a brook will not quench our thirst.
Next, these hearers are described as deceiving themselves........
You would very soon quit my door, and call me inhospitable if I gave you music instead of meat; and yet you deceive yourselves with the notion that merely hearing about Jesus and His great salvation has made you better men.
And then again, according to our text, these people are superficial hearers........
They are said to be like to a man who sees his natural face in a glass.
To see yourself as God would have you see yourself in the glass of scripture is something, but you must afterwards go to Christ for washing or your looking is very superficial work,
The text accuse these persons of being hasty hearers..."He beholds himself and goes his way.".
They never give the word time to operate, they are back to business back to idle chit-chat, the moment the service ends.
One other thing is said about them, namely, that they are very forgetful hearer-they forget what manner of men they are.......
They have heard the discourse, and there is an end of it.
I have described certain hearers, and I fear we have many such in all congregation; admiring hearers, but all the while unblest hearer, because they are not doers of the word..
One thing they lack–they have no faith in Christ.
Are you going to be like Solomon’s friends the Turians who helped to build the temple and yet went on worshiping their idols?
II. BLESSED HEARERS—THOSE WHO GET THE BLESSING.
Now notice that this hearer who is blest is, first of all, and earnest, eager, humble hearer.
He does not look upon the law of liberty and go his way, but he looketh into it.
He hears of the gospel, and he says, "I will look into this."
He searches as men do who are looking after diamonds or gold.
That is the right kind of hearer—and earnest listener whose senses are all aroused to receive all that can be learned.
It is implied, too, that he is a thoughtful, studious, searching hearers, he looks into the perfect law.
He is sacredly curious—he inquires; he pries. He asks all those who should know. He likes to get with old Christians to hear their experience.
He loves to compare spiritual things with spiritual, to dissect a text and see how it stands in relation to another, and to its own parts, for he is earnest when he hears the Word.
Looking so steadily he discovers that the gospel is a law of liberty; and indeed it is so.
There is no joy like the joy of pardon, there is no release like release from the slavery of sin, there is no freedom like the liberty of holiness, the liberty to draw near to God.
But it is added that he continues therein.
If you hear the gospel and it does not bless you, hear it again.
If you have read the word of God and it has not saved you, read it again.
It is able to save your soul.
Lastly, it is added that this man is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, and he shall be blessed in his deed.
Is he bidden to repent? He asks God to enable him to repent. He turns everything that he hears into practice. He formed holy habits and a noble character, and became a blessed hearer of the Word. Good night and God bless. (James Shoemake
