Now let us go before the Lord in prayer before and ask for a blessing on the word. Lord, may your name be glorified this evening. May you use me as a faithful vessel to preach your holy and true word to these faithful people. And Lord, may these words feed your sheep. May they be nourished and may they be blessed and edified and strengthened for all who are here today, Lord. We pray this in your name. Amen. Our sermon tonight comes out of continuing in James, James chapter 1 verses 22 to 25. And the sermon title is Listening to the Word, Living Out the Word, and Blessing in the Word. We're going to begin reading though from verse 19 just for context before we get to our passage. And verse 19 begins, Know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. And here in verse 22, this is where our text begins. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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 he goes away, and at once forgets what he was like. 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." So when we look at our passage for today, verses 22 to 25, the main theme that we're going to walk away from is that blessing and freedom come solely from hearing and obeying the voice of God and His Word. And as we continue in the book of James, as we continue our study, James is now emphasizing the importance of listening to the word. In our last study, James emphasized how important it is to listen to others, those within the body of Christ and in our families, to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. And then James ended his exhortation by encouraging us there in verse 21 to put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and to receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. And in keeping with that, we're going to read, James is now going to stress and emphasize the importance of listening to God and doing what the Word of God says. That is how we receive with meekness the implanted Word, by actually listening and obeying, by doing. And so God has spoken to us and He continues to speak to us through His Word. And so in light of this, James calls all of us to hear what God has to say and to be diligent to remember what God has said and then to put it into practice. To not just hear, but to put into practice his living authoritative word. And only when we remember what we have heard in the word, and then we actually go forth and do it, then we receive the grace of freedom and blessing from God that James speaks of. which He gives to all who seek Him through His Word. So God has spoken to His people and continues to speak to His people. And the question is, that we all need to ask ourselves, are we really listening? Because if we listen and forget, we will be fruitless. In fact, James is going to cover it. Forgetting equals fruitlessness. But to listen and to remember that is what brings true freedom and blessing from God. So the three points that we're really going to capture in this text this evening is number one, listening and living. And we get this from verse 22. listening and living. Don't just be hearers of the word, but be doers. And point two, listening and forgetting from verses 23 to 24. So if you forget the word, you will forget who you are, who scripture says who you are, and who God is. And then the last point that we will discuss and that we'll talk about in this passage is looking deeply and living freely from verse 25. That we gaze deeply into the word and when we do that it brings both freedom and blessing in our lives. Beginning with our first point in our first verse, verse 22, the point of listening and living. So here James describes as we read it, but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving ourselves. So he describes two types of people here. Two. He describes on one end the hearers and on another side the doers. James says don't just hear and listen to the word. But to do the word, James says. And then he further describes and he says that those who don't actually do the word, that is to put it into practice, those who only hear with their ears but in the end do not listen because they never put into practice what they actually hear, that he says that that is those who deceive themselves. And this is a theme that is found in James, and we'll read later in chapter 2, when we eventually get there, where James discusses that those who claim to have faith, but no works. So this passage that we're in tonight is really a precursor to James later on in chapter 2 and his later point of faith without works is what? Dead. Faith without works is dead. That is to say, faith without any action, no action on our part, without works, without obedience, which these things are the fruit of faith, not the root of faith. They're the fruit of faith. That kind of faith is a dead faith. If there is no obedience, no doing, just hearing, James says, you are deceiving yourselves, verse 22. Deceiving ourselves. But what does it mean to deceive ourselves? Certainly we don't want to come to God's word and be constantly hearing it on Sunday and whenever we come in our devotions and whenever we hear the word preached or studied and weekly studies. We don't want to deceive ourselves by being only hearers and never doers. But what does it mean to deceive ourselves? Listen to biblical commentator Douglas Smoo and his insight that he has in this passage. It reads, so people who merely listen to the word are on dangerous ground. Why? He says they deceive themselves. Paul uses the same word in Colossians 2 verse 4 where he warns Christians about false teachers who deceive people through fine-sounding arguments. He says the idea of deceiving then is to be blinded to the reality of one's true religious state. People can think they are right with God when they are really not. So it is for people who hear the word, whether they are regular church attenders, seminary students, even seminary professors. But if they don't actually do the word, he says, so they are deceived. They are mistaken in thinking that they are truly right with God. For God's word cannot be divided into parts. If one wants the benefits of its saving power, one must also embrace it as the authority in one's life. or they haven't actually accepted God's Word at all." End quote. So we deceive ourselves, Douglas Moos says, and James says, if we don't actually follow God's Word in whatever aspect it speaks into our lives. Right? God's Word is authoritative by nature. And so whenever it speaks into our lives, and there's a place where we either ignore it, where we rebel against it or just are ignorant of it, right? In that area, it's not speaking into our lives and we are not following it. We're not obeying it. We're not doers of the word. We're only hearers. But here's where a common issue can come up that I want to address. So a lot of Christians can struggle with the aspect of doing. with actually living the Christian life. And sometimes there's a lot of questions and frustrations for people who feel like perhaps they're in a spiritual rut. Where the question is, how do I go from hearing the word to actually doing the word? One common concept that's taught in popular Christian books on living the Christian life and Christian living, and how do I live a faithful Christian life, those books fill the shelves. And unfortunately, when you look at a lot of those Christian top sellers, the best sellers, they don't actually have a biblical understanding of doing, or a biblical understanding of the practical application of the Christian life. And one thing that I've noticed is that what it lacks is because it lacks a biblical understanding of change. Rather than having a biblical understanding of change, it has a secular idea or it's kind of molded together with it. And what I mean is this. I've looked at a number of these books and even articles and they have something that's similar to something called CBT. that stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. You might have heard this term. But CBT, the idea is that the cognitive, the thoughts, the cognitions, drive our behaviors. So the idea is change the cognitions, the thoughts, and then therefore change the behavior. That is the common idea and it is everywhere. It is everywhere, even in Christian books. I've read it all the time and I see it. Not there by term, But by practice and by philosophy and principle, it's there. And the idea is that the change of behavior comes from changing of the thoughts. But brothers and sisters, this is not a correct understanding. And I'll explain. This is not how scripture speaks of change. Scripture speaks of change beginning not with the thoughts, But with the inner man, the heart, the mind, the inner person. In fact, the word for scripture, or the word that scripture uses for change, is repentance. In the Greek, metanoia. And metanoia means, properly, a change of the mind. Not of the brain or the thoughts, of the mind. And by mind it means the inner person. That change begins with the mind, not with the thoughts. And here you might be a bit confused because I just said change begins with the mind and not with the thoughts. And the often assumption is that, isn't that the same thing? Minds and thoughts, thoughts and minds? But this is where a lot of confusion comes in, but it is not. And we'll see that the mind and the thoughts is not the same thing. And the difference really comes from the starting point for change. Is the starting point for change, how the Christian, how us, how we change in our lives, is the starting point. What Scripture teaches, which is with the mind, metanoia, the change of the mind. Or is it what secular sciences teach, the thoughts, the cognitions. Because those two are not the same, even though it's a common misunderstanding. Biblically speaking, the mind is the inner person. The Greek word for mind comes from the word nous. which refers to the mind, the intellect. It's how we perceive, how we reason, how we understand things. It's how we discern truth, make judgments, how we can reflect on the things that we hear and the things that we read. It also refers to our consciousness, that I am aware, that we're aware of things. And our moral conscience, that we know things like right and wrong. And the same concept is found in the Hebrew word in the Old Testament from Leb. which in the Old Testament is typically translated heart. And a little historical background on this. In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of mind was central to discussions about human nature, ethics, and a pursuit of knowledge. The mind was seen as the seat of rational thought and moral decision-making. And in Jewish thought, the mind is also significant, and it is often linked with the heart as the center of one's being and moral life. So the New Testament writers, influenced by both Jewish and Greek thought, emphasize the importance of the mind in understanding and living out the Christian faith. And here's one biblical example of this found in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 16 and that verse reads, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days declares the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will write them on their minds. Now what the Lord is referring to in that verse in Hebrews 10 16 is that God is going to etch his law on the inner person. No longer is the law just some physical tablet in front of you. He's going to imprint it on the very heart of every single born-again Christian entwined with the Holy Spirit. That is one of the superior aspects of the new covenant, by the way. So, both the heart and mind in the Bible points to the same idea. That it is the inner man, the core of a person. What we call the soul and spirit, which is actually used interchangeably. It's the same thing. Soul, spirit, mind, heart. It's the inner person. That's what it means. That is where change begins. That's what scripture says. The Bible calls for repentance, metanoia, a change of the mind. You also find this in the Old Testament where it says, do not circumcise yourself, outwardly, but inwardly circumcise your hearts, not just your flesh. It is pointing to an inner change, right? So repentance points to the changing of the mind. Again, that metanoia, it focuses on the inner person. Listen to Christ's words in Matthew chapter 15, verses 18 to 19. If you want to turn there in your Bible quickly, Matthew 15, 18 to 19, and we'll read Christ speaking with his disciples, and we'll get some insight on this. So it reads, beginning in verse 18, But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and defiles a person. For out of the heart come, look at this, out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual morality, theft, false witness, slander. And these are what defile a person. But notice what Christ is saying. The thoughts aren't the inner person, the heart is. Thoughts come out of the inner person. This is Christ speaking before the disciples and teaching them about this. So if we look at passages like this, and we're talking about in James about not just being hearers but doers, and putting the words into action, essentially changing And if we want to change our behavior and the choices that are coming out in our life, then we must begin with the inner person, Christ says, which is the heart, the mind. And that is what repentance aims for, a change of heart, a change of the mind, a change of the very inner person. And this is the opposite of what we can see in culture and what culture teaches. Culture would teach, if you guys want to change, if we want to change our life, we start by changing our thoughts. They don't even address the heart and the mind. If you want to be a different person tomorrow, you have to start thinking differently. And that's only half true. Certainly, you have to start thinking differently. You can't keep thinking the same and expect to change. But if all you do is point to your own thought life to try to change, you will continue in that spiritual rut. The change will not be produced because change does not come from the thoughts. Change comes, begins with the mind, the heart, the inner person. No amount of thinking can produce change in our lives, in and of itself. Thinking differently is important. Thinking in and of itself will not produce the change. That belief, that's that CBT, that's the cognition's driving behaviors idea. We can't just think ourselves to become holy, as if somehow we can manifest holiness in our lives. No, dear Christian, change begins with repentance. And these are three key aspects that are missing from the cultural concept of change versus a biblical concept. And if we want to be doers and not just hearers, we need to understand this. Here's the three biblical concepts, repentance, faith, and grace. That's what's missing, not just in the culture, but from other foreign religions. Repentance, faith, and grace. We've already looked a bit at repentance. Faith is the other aspect, because as necessary as repentance is, repentance is only the put-off aspect, is how it's described at times. Repentance is the putting off of sin, putting it away, but the other aspect is faith. So repentance looks at putting off, putting away sin and unrighteousness. And as important and necessary repentance is, it's not enough to only focus on what you need to stop doing, but you also need to focus on what you need to start doing, right? Put off and put on righteousness. And this is where the put on aspect comes in, which is faith. But faith in what? And faith in who? Well, faith in the agent of change. And the agent of change, what I mean by that term, is the one who brings about the change. Well, who brings about the change? The Holy Spirit. In fact, in Romans chapter 1 verse 4, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of holiness. How are we to live holy lives without a spirit of holiness? He's absolutely necessary to the Christian life. That's what the Holy Spirit does. He's the agent of change. He's the spirit of holiness. He's the one who works sanctification in our lives. 2 Thessalonians 2.13 highlights an important aspect of the Christian life of sanctification. 2 Thessalonians 2.13, and that verse reads, But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, and here it is, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. sanctification by the Spirit, and belief in the truth. Those are necessary means for change. So when we rely on God, the Holy Spirit, and His power to change and transform our hearts, you see, no amount of thinking can change us by itself. And we need the Holy Spirit, for He's the one who works sanctification in us to change the very nature of our hearts. Brothers and sisters, it doesn't matter how hard you think about changing your behavior. If all you're doing is thinking about changing your behavior, you will not change. Society says just change your thoughts and you will begin to change your habits and behaviors. But brothers and sisters, change in the biblical term is metanoia. changing of the mind, the inner person. That is repentance, not just simply changing our thoughts, that's just to give like an intellectual assent to things in our life, but a change of the mind, the very inner person. If you keep striving to change things in your life simply by changing your thoughts, even if you think very, very, very hard, you're not gonna change at all. You're not gonna produce real lasting change. All you're gonna do is just strive and give yourself a mental hernia. Don't strive and think really hard to change, to become more holy, to become more faithful, and become more righteous. But what's missing is those three biblical concepts of repentance, faith, and grace. So don't just try to think really hard about not sinning. Go to the Lord in repentance. Go to the Holy Spirit with a change of the mind, with a metanoia. And not just repentance, but faith. Because faith in the one who is going to bring the change in our hearts Faith in the Holy Spirit, who himself is the Spirit of holiness. So we need faith in the Holy Spirit, and we need repentance, and we need faith in the scriptures. That passage in 2 Thessalonians, what did it say? Sanctification through the Holy Spirit and belief in the truth. You'll never be sanctified if you believe in lies, at least not in the area where you are believing a lie. Right? It's the Scriptures itself. John 17, 17 says, sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. You see how necessary the Scriptures are as the means of change? The word sanctification all that really means, it's the ongoing process of change in the life of the Christian. It is where Christ, at the moment of your justification, has began the process of changing you into conformity to Christ's likeness. From the very, very moment that you were indwelt from the Holy Spirit, the moment you were justified, you began this long life process of sanctification. And that is the change. You are being changed each and every day as you continue in the word, continue in repentance and faith and grace. That's what really the life or the process of sanctification is. And it begins with repentance and faith from when we first believed and it continues in repentance and faith until the day of the Lord's appearing will be all changed forevermore in eternal glory. That is what sanctification is, that's the Christian life. To continue in faith and repentance in the one who has called us to live a holy life. So we need faith in God, who is the agent of change, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of holiness. We need faith in the Word of God. His Word is truth. Sanctify them with your truth. And lastly, of course, we need grace. Grace, of course, is the power of God himself gives the believer to change, to live out sanctification, to put off sin and put on righteousness, both repentance and faith. Brothers and sisters, we can't just be hearers of the word. We must be doers of the word. And doing cannot be defined by culture. It isn't defined by the behavioral sciences or a self-help book. You cannot think hard enough and expect to change. No amount of mental straining will bring change. No amount of thinking will manifest change or positivity in your life, no matter what the internet guru said. Dear Christian, the Bible speaks clearly. We need repentance, we need faith, and we need grace, and we need it daily if we want to bring real, true, lasting, fruitful change. And to our second point, listening and forgetting, in verses 23 to 24. 23 and 24. It says, 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 the mirror. For he looks at himself and then goes away and at once forgets what he was like. So listening and forgetting. Here James goes on to say that anyone who does not put into practice the words that they hear, they're like someone looking at the reflection. And then looking forgets how they even look. So dear friend, if you forget what you read, James is telling us all, it's like forgetting our own reflection. And just think about that for a second. Think about that. Forgetting our own reflection? Imagine looking in the mirror and not even recognizing yourself. You just stand there. You look in the mirror. You see your reflection. You look back. The natural face, it says. And as you're standing there, you're just, who is this person? Who is this man? Who is this woman standing here? You don't even know that person. It's such an odd thing to even think of that you would look in the mirror and not even recognize your own reflection. But the same is true with scripture. If you just read and forget, you will look into the Bible the way you look into a mirror And just as you do not recognize your own natural reflection, you do not recognize yourself in the reflection, you will gaze into the word of God and you won't recognize God's reflection. Because that's what the divine word does. It reflects who God is. Every single page. It also reflects who we truly are. So if we just hear the word and then forget it, We are like the man who forgets his own reflection. We forget who God is and we forget who we really are because scripture reveals the reflection of God and it properly reflects who we are. And imagine reading and thinking, I don't even know who this God is. I don't recognize him. That's because you've forgotten him. He's revealed himself to all mankind through his word, and people do not read it. They do not read his word. Imagine understanding that you were created and not even seeking to understand your creator. So we can't just simply read the word and expect change to happen. Sanctification does not happen via osmosis. Holiness doesn't just happen simply because we memorize scripture. We must read it, remember it, and apply it. There was a, in 2009, there was a study done by the Center for Biblical Engagement. They conducted a study, and looking at the benefits of just reading the Bible four times a week, that's it, just four times a week, and this is what they found. If the average Christian just read the Bible just four times a week, they were more likely to engage in evangelism, more likely to be engaged in discipleship, and decrease in moral behavior. And here's the actual percentages and the odds. The odds of sharing faith with others went up 228%. 228%. The odds of discipling others increased 231%. 231%. The odds of memorizing scripture went and increased 407%. 407% increase from four times a week. I'm sorry, did I say four times a day earlier? Four times a week. Four times a week. And the lowering and the decreased odds of immorality, of drunkenness, 57% decrease. Sexual morality, 65% decrease in all its forms. And gambling, a 74% decrease in odds from simply reading the word four times a week. That is, just listen, four times a week, evangelism, discipleship, and memorization of scripture increase anywhere from 200 to 400%. Just four times a week. That's the power, that's what it does. Now, I am not advocating or saying that you should only be reading your Bible four times a week. But, even reading it four times a week produces that kind of fruit and change. That's drastic. That's what happens. So why would we not want to read it more? Why would we not want to sit down and spend time with God more? Why would we not want to sit down and open his word instead of reading this article, that article, that book, that bestseller, and having just, you know, conversations with people but never actually just getting into his word and sit there and read it and devour the scriptures like a five-star meal? If that's what the power of the word does, just four times a week, why would we not want to be in his word all the more? The study also went on and asked, what hinders people from reading or listening to the Bible regularly? And this is what most people said. They said, in one way or another, they are too busy or don't have enough time. And others said that the distractions and interruptions of life are the things that often got blanked. And this is what prevented people. Many who gave reasons such as these also acknowledge that they're really just excuses, and that the real problem is that they have not made staying in God's word a priority in their lives. And here are some more reasons that were given by this is a Christian study in 2009. And this is some of the actual things that they said, real quotation says, number one, my own lack of priorities and not scheduling a special time to do that. Another one said, a crazy schedule, no good excuse, but so basically not making good use of my time and making things that shouldn't be a priority, a priority over engaging in the Bible. They also found in the study that some of the reasons for not reading the Bible were actually heart issues. And here's what some of those things were. It says, if I was discouraged or struggling with the situation, then sometimes I just don't want to go there. My brothers and sisters, if you're discouraged or struggling with situations, there is nothing better to do than to go there. I don't know why someone would want to be anywhere else. Another reason, they said, is my own feelings of inadequacy. All the more reason to be in the Word of God. Another said, heart issues that I'm not quite ready to give up to God. If you have a heart issue that you're not quite ready to give up to God, then you absolutely need to be in the Word of God and let God work and convict you. Another reason was past anger at a father, at a dad, at a father, biological father. What I gathered from that, number one, fathers listen to this, you're important. Absolutely. As a matter of fact, a long time ago, I remember reading about what was a common theme among some of the most spiteful atheists was that they did not have a good relationship with their father. And think about that. If you don't have a good relationship with your earthly father, that affects the way you view fatherhood. And so it affects the way you view God, who is known as our Heavenly Father. So number one, look at that. You are important. You need to be involved. You need to be fostering, cultivating, and building a good relationship with all of your children. And you need to be the one taking initiative, even with your grown children. You don't sit around waiting for them to call you or text you. You are a father. That's what we do. We initiate. If our Heavenly Father just let us and waited for us, He would wait for an eternity, because we would have never made the first move. The other thing about that, what struck me, is if that's, you're on the other side and someone has anger at a father and you let that foolishly get in the way of your relationship with your creator. As if somehow your anger at your father and then turning that anger to God is gonna produce something productive in your life. People will always hurt you in this world. that never should we take that out on the Lord. And in fact, Scripture, Ephesians 4 31, forgive others as you have been forgiven in Christ Jesus. You don't have to wait for someone else to forgive you. That might never come, but you can still always extend forgiveness to them. Christ extended forgiveness to you, and if you claim to be forgiven, then extend that forgiveness. Don't be the unmerciful servant, like that parable in the Gospels. There's another reason they said. They said, there's a lot of confusion I have about people's, other people's Christian behavior. Oh, and where is God when he promises his love and attention? So, some things that prevented people is other people's Christian behavior. And where is God when he promises his love and attention? When I read that, I was just thinking to myself, I'm like, well, if your Bible's closed, you're never going to find where his love and attention is. Lastly, there's a category of reasons that were given by, again, in this Christian study, is the category of they just don't believe that they need God's word in their life. And here's what they said. Someone said, my flesh, a self-confidence that I know enough and I don't need it anymore. The belief that not reading the Bible won't affect my life that much, so why prioritize it anyways? Or when everything is going well, I tend to rely on myself instead of God. So this is just a few of the things that was uncovered in this study. And two things we can walk away from that is, number one, there is an epidemic of biblical apathy. People just do not care to read God's word. And they were serving Christians, not unbelievers. Number two, there is an epidemic of Christians being lulled to sleep through their own busy schedules. Brothers and sisters, I'll tell you right now, you can become so busy that you actually become unproductive. Which is a turn of irony, because most people pride themselves in being so productive because their schedules are so full. But the reality is, busyness will kill you spiritually. Because the first thing that busyness is going to do is it's going to keep you from this. The number one thing that we all need to spend time in. I had a brother, a brother in Christ, an army veteran too, and a faithful brother, went through a lot of suffering. In one year, in the span of one year, he lost his adult son, 22, who suddenly died, suddenly passed away. Lost his father while his father was living in another country, so he didn't get to be there and see him. And then he also lost his dog that he held really dear to him, all in the span of one year. And this brother of mine, he's one of the most faithful friends that I have in the Lord, constantly clinging to the word. And I saw him going through this suffering and saw what really was helping him navigate through this suffering and tumultuous time. And you know what he said? That is that he clung to the word. And as long as I've known, that's what he's always been. He's always been about the word. And he told me one time, and he said, brother, you know what the biggest problem Christians have today? He said, they are too busy. They're too busy for God. And then he said, and you know what busy stands for? With his little accent and everything. Busy stands for being under Satan's yoke. And I was like, yeah, I'm not gonna forget that one, yeah. Being under Satan's yoke. Christian, don't be under Satan's yoke. Be in the word. Be in the word, be obedient to it. Do it, live it, remember it. And remember the Lord. Final point, verse 25, a point of looking deeply and living freely. In verse 25, 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. So James' contrast in the man that we just read about forgets his own reflection. Versus the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and then perseveres, Someone who's not just a hearer and forgets, like the man looking in the reflection, but this man is a doer, and he acts. James describes him as someone who looks, looks into. And in the English, we don't quite catch it. The Greek word helps us. That Greek word, parakuptos, which means to look intently. It's not just a cursory look. It means to peer into. It depicts someone who's bending forward to examine something closely. Because they have a desire to understand. And we actually find this word in John 20, chapter 20, 3 verse 5. You don't have to turn there, I will turn there for us. John chapter 20, 3 verse 5. And in this passage we find the apostles running to the empty tomb. because they just heard the reports, and they go running to see what's going on. So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb, and both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb. And stopping to look in, he saw the linen cloth lying there. That word, stopping to look in, is our word here in James, to look intently, paracuptos, and they're peering, they're looking in there. And I thought, could you imagine being there physically, being with the apostles, going to run to see the tomb? And you get there, you heard the reports, you're running, and in amazement, you're looking intently, you're looking in, and what do you see? Nothing. Linen cloths. And you're just stuck, looking, peering, trying to understand what happened. And then, what are your thoughts? You start, everything comes back to your mind, And you start thinking, who is this man I've been following for three years? Who is this man that all of a sudden, he was put in here, he was dead, we know that he was dead, they rolled this thing in front of him, this thing weighs who knows how many pounds, and now I'm looking intently, deeply, and I see no man. And you think, surely he's risen. Surely this man must be the God who he claimed to be to do something so magnificent and powerful. And my question is, brothers and sisters, do you look into the word intently the same way? Do you, like the apostles, look intently? Looking, trying to understand who Christ is? Who is this magnificent and amazing and powerful God? Well, we don't look in a tomb to look for Him. We look here to look for Him. But do you look the way that the apostles looked for Christ, the same way here in his word? So that you can understand who this amazing, powerful God is? And think, who can accomplish such amazing feats as you read everything from Genesis to Revelation? Who conquers all powers? Who commands all nations? Who defeats death itself? Who subdues sin and Satan through the power of his death and resurrection? This God invites us to know him through his word. And the word gives us freedom. Freedom to those who rely not on their own understanding, but on the wisdom of God. It gives freedom to those who dwell not on the things of this world, but on the things of God and on the wisdom of God. And to dwell not on the poverty of this world, but the riches of the Word. Freedom to those who don't just hear the Word, but who from their heart live the Word. And all who give an ear to this word, who listen to the voice of God, and heed his voice, following his commands, like the sheep to its shepherd, they are the ones who will be blessed, James says. And Christ Jesus in the Gospel of John says, the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. And when he has brought out all of his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. So brothers and sisters, let us not just be hearers of the word, but doers. And let us not just hear the words of the shepherd and then forget them, but let us look deeply and intently into the word that gives freedom. And do them, apply them from the heart, obeying the voice of the shepherd, following him and keeping his word close to our hearts, persevering in his gracious promises of redemption, so that we too may be counted among those who are blessed. And let us do that each and every day. Amen? Amen. Let's close in prayer. Lord, thank you for your precious and powerful word. Lord, help us. Give us strength to not just be hearers, to not just hear and forget, but let us be doers, doers of the word from the heart. Let us seek you always and let us look deeply and intently into your word and help us to live out your word to your glory. Amen.