Practicing God’s Word - James 1

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv

Introduction: Learning Versus Practicing God’s Truth

This morning, we’re continuing our series Active Faith Unleashed from the book of James. In this series, we’re going to learn the keys to living for God. My message today is entitled “Practicing God’s Word.” Let’s begin this morning by talking about the difference between learning and practicing.

In 2010, Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian girl stunned the world by becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world. How did she get to the point to accomplish this amazing feat? Her parents were sailors and they taught her sailing. Jessica did not just learn from books, but practiced sailing yachts for years before embarking on her trip around the world.

Without going from learning to practicing, the record would not have been broken. How does this apply to God’s Word, the Bible, the Word of Truth?

Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, …

The world is full of lies and falsehoods. Our minds can only be transformed through the truth of God’s Word.

Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

These verses clearly speak of turning away from worldly wisdom. Then delighting oneself in learning God’s Word and meditating on it. What is the purpose of meditating on God’s Word? Meditating on God’s Word is thinking deeply about how we can apply it to our lives.

Matthew 7:24 (ESV) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Jesus takes it another step further in this verse. We must not only hear and listen to God’s Word, we must put it into practice. When we do that our lives on then built upon the rock of God’s truth. We will be able to withstand the storms of life.

Today, we’re going to look more deeply at what Practicing God’s Word means.

The Power of Listening

James 1:19 (ESV) Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

In this verse, James gives us three short but powerful commands, all related to one another. First of all, we are to be quick to hear, quick to listen. This means that listening should be our priority. This applies to listening to other people speaking.

We also need to be quick to listen to God’s Word, whether reading it on our own or listening to a teacher. God desires for us to be humble to learn from others and from His truth. What gets in the way of being quick to hear? Being quick to speak.

If you’re speaking then it’s impossible to be hearing. If you are reading God’s Word or listening to a message and your thoughts say, I know this already, you’re not listening. God by His Spirit is able to give you new understanding from any Scripture. James also tells us that we are to be slow to anger.

Can you listen to someone else or God if you’re angry at them? The answer is no. If you are quick to speak and you don’t listen, the possibility of you getting angry are greater. But if you are quick to listen, you will learn the power of listening.

James 1:20 (ESV) for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

What is the anger of man? The anger of man is anger that stems from seeking revenge on someone that has hurt us. The emotion of anger always comes from being hurt in one way or another. The anger of man does not bring healing to relationships, but drives them further apart.

But when you listen to others and to God, He can bring healing into your life. When we listen to God, it will produce the righteousness of God in our lives.

James 1:21 (ESV) Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James is very good at telling us what we are not to do and what we are to do in this verse. We are to put away filthiness, which refers to sins of our speech. And we are to put away rampant wickedness, which in the context, refers to sins of anger. Sins of anger can be of speech or of actions.

What we are to do is to receive with meekness or humility God’s Word. The opposite of humility is pride. Pride leads to being quick to speak and quick to be angry. Humility receives God’s Word that God has sown in our hearts through His Spirit.

A humble heart receives all of God’s Word, not just the parts that you like or seem easy. Receiving God’s Word with faith is the key to being saved. That is the power of listening.

Learning to Listen Before We Speak

In our daily lives, we often prioritize speaking over listening. We are thinking of our next point rather than hearing the other person’s heart. Those who are not quick to listen to people are usually not quick to listen to God.

If you truly love someone, whether a person or God, you will seek to listen carefully. Seek to understand what the other person is saying before putting in your two cents. Don’t forget that God often speaks to us through another person.

By not listening to another person, you may not be listening to God Himself. What keeps us from listening to others or God? It could be our own thoughts, whatever they may be. Or in today’s world, it could be your phone.

It is not uncommon to see people in conversations today who are paying more attention to their phone than to what the other person is saying. Learning the power of listening is the first essential step we must learn today.

Put God’s Word Into Action

James 1:22 (ESV) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Now, James surprised us and tells us that just listening to God’s Word is not often. In fact, just hearing God’s Word is deceiving ourselves. The deception is to think that there is a blessing in hearing God’s Word.

Hearing God’s Word is essential, but it is just the first step. The key to blessing, as we’ll see, is to be doers of the word. God’s Word is not meant to only be heard, it is meant to be practiced, to be put into action in our lives.

God’s Word is intended to change our thinking and our actions.

James 1:23-24 (ESV) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

In these verses, God’s Word is likened to a mirror. People look into mirrors for many reasons. But for the most, we look into a mirror to make sure everything is OK with our appearance.

Our hair is in place, our whiskers are shaved or our makeup is good. Now, what a man or woman looks for in the mirror are somewhat different. When we listen to God’s Word, it acts like a mirror.

God’s Word shows us what needs to be changed in our lives. It shows us the things we need to stop doing and the things we need to start doing. If you look into a mirror and see your hair is all messed up, but you don’t correct it, the mirror has done you no good.

In the same way, when we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we see what God instructs us to do. If we don’t put His Word into practice, it does us no more good than looking into a mirror and making no changes in our appearance.

James 1:25 (ESV) But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

What we are to do is look carefully in God’s perfect Word and we must persevere. We must continue looking so that we remember what it revealed to us. God’s Word reveals to us the things in our lives that need to change.

It shows us things we need to do and things we need to stop doing. We must look into God’s Word, remember what it tells us and put that word into action. There inlays the reward, you will be blessed as you do God’s Word, as you put it into action.

Blessing Comes Through Obedience

The deception that James talks about in these verses is very common and I believe has afflicted each one of us from time to time. The deception is that the more of God’s Word I know, the more blessed I must be. That’s not true.

There are people who know the Bible better than any of us and are not saved. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day knew that Old Testament by heart, but they rejected Jesus the Messiah. Now, reading and learning God’s Word is a good thing, it’s an important first step.

However, the blessing comes as you put what you learn into action. The wonderful part of God is that He is there to empower you to put His Word into action. As you learn to be a doer of the Word, you grow spiritually, you become more mature, you become more like Jesus.

The blessing comes as you put God’s Word into action.

Marks of a True Believer

James 1:26 (ESV) If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

James now gives us some practical examples of putting God’s Word into practice. A person may think that they are religious, a good Christian because they know a lot about the Bible. This verse gives us a test to see if you are a true believer.

A true believer is someone who bridles his tongue. The image is that of a bridle that controls the direction of a horse. Someone who bridles his tongue is someone who is slow to speak and quick to hear.

Someone who bridles his tongue is someone who is slow to anger. The person who says they are a true believer, but don’t control their tongue is deceived. As James says here, their faith is worthless.

James 1:27 (ESV) Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James now gives us two examples or marks of a true believer. The first is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. The principle is that you help those who are needy, whether, spiritually, physically or emotionally.

Our lives should demonstrate the compassion and love of Jesus to those around us. This compassion may be by physically going to people in need. It may be demonstrated by praying for those in need or by supporting others who can help those in need.

Support of world-wide missions is one wonderful way to show God’s compassion to those in need around the world. The second mark of a true believer according to James is to keep yourself unstained by the world.

This verse sees sin as a stain from the world that contaminates you. The first mark we talked about is going something for God and showing His love. This second mark is not doing or following the sins of the world around us.

The temptation to fit in with the sins of the world is strong. Yet, we are to use the defenses that God gives us to keep ourselves pure from the sinful contamination of the world. These are two marks of a true believer who is listening to God’s Word and putting it into action.

Living Out Compassion and Purity

How can we show compassion to those who are needy around us? One very important way is to support world-wide missions. Our thousands of missionaries around the world seek to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of those who do not yet know Jesus.

We have made a commitment to give at least 10% of our General Fund income to support missions around the world. If each person gives a tithe, 10% of their income and then a tithe of their tithe, 1% of their income, the needs of the work here in St Louis and around the world will be met.

And you will have put the Word into action through your generous giving. The other example of James of practicing God’s Word is to keep yourself unstained by the world. How do clothes get stained?

They get stained by getting in close contact with something that stains. If you get in close contact with sin, you will end up getting stained. God calls us to pursue righteousness through involvement in the church family and practicing His Word in every area of our lives.

We must be careful what we read, what we watch and where we go. Everything you hear and see has an impact on you. Everyone you spend time with has an impact on you. Keep yourself unstained by the sinful world around you.

Conclusion: Walking in the Blessing of Obedience

This passage of God’s Word gives us clear instructions how to live in a world going increasingly away from God. Ask God to help you listen more carefully, listen to God and listen to people. Then ask God to give you the power to put His Word into practice.

Seek to continue to grow in God’s plan and purpose for your life. Ask God to give you His compassion and love for people in need. Both people you know and those around the world who don’t know Jesus.

Don’t follow the crowd in what they say, watch and read. They’re headed in the wrong direction. Keep yourself unstained by the world and walk in the blessing of God.

📘 Continue the Journey

Reflect deeper and apply this week’s message with the Message Study Guide — perfect for personal devotions, family discussion, or your Life Group.

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