Putting God’s Word into Practice (James 1:19-27)

Do you know what the Bible says but struggle to put it into practice? In James 1:19-27, Pastor Chris Teien considers the difference between hearing God’s Word and responding to it. A riding mower that could not move until its transmission was engaged offers a memorable picture of faith that stays in neutral.

James calls us to receive God’s Word humbly, do what it says, and let it shape our words and our care for others. Pastor Chris also explains why obedience cannot earn salvation. New life begins through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again.

IN THIS MESSAGE

#1 BE READY TO RECEIVE GOD’S WORD

Come to Scripture ready to listen, willing to be corrected, and slow to dismiss what challenges you. James urges us to put aside sin and humbly accept the Word God has planted in us. (James 1:19-21; Psalm 119:18; Hebrews 3:15)

#2 RESPOND BY DOING WHAT IT SAYS

Hearing or studying the Bible is only the beginning. James compares someone who hears without acting to a person who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets what needs attention. Look carefully at the passage, consider what it teaches about God, and take a specific step of obedience. (James 1:22-25; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 139:23-24; John 8:31-32)

#3 LET GOD’S WORD RESHAPE HOW YOU LIVE

God’s Word affects how we speak, how we care for people in distress, and how we resist the world’s influence. Pastor Chris encourages practical acts of care, even when we cannot meet every need. These actions express a faith shaped by God’s grace; they do not make us right with Him. (James 1:26-27; Romans 12:2)

As you read the Bible, ask what God wants you to believe, change, or do. If you have not placed your faith in Jesus, receive the salvation He offers as a gift. Then follow Him and put His Word into practice. (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:8-9)

SCRIPTURE

Primary passage: James 1:19-27
Supporting passages: Psalm 119:18; Psalm 139:23-24; John 3:16-18; John 8:31-32; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 3:15; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18

Transcript available at:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285086/episodes/19870818

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I hope this message helps you understand and apply God’s Word. Find sermon transcripts at Well.faith, learn more at ChrisTeien.com, or come visit us at Rockwell Church in Virginia, Minnesota. If this message encouraged you, I’d love to hear from you at wellfaith24@gmail.com.

Transcript

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Chris T 0:16

In a minute, I'm gonna read from James chapter 1, verses 19 through 27, out of the NIV. So if you're grabbing your Bibles and you want to turn there, otherwise you can grab the Bible that's in the chair before you there. That's good. So about five years ago we moved here and we didn't have many houses to choose from. So most of the things were selling right away, and so we ended up getting this one house. And so it had a big yard. And at first, being that I want to be economical, I thought I would just use a push mower. And I used a push mower for just a little bit. I'm like, it is gonna take me forever, especially getting up the hills. And my wife was like, you should get a riding mower. And I said, Well, maybe I could get a self-propelled mower. She's like, it's still gonna take you forever. And so I did. I went to the local store and I bought a brand new riding mower. And it was nice. I've never had a riding mower before. And I looked at the specs and I read the stuff and I found out all about it. And I knew a lot about it before I purchased it. Did my research and everything. So bought that riding mower. Turns out everybody in the neighborhood has the same riding mower, basically. So I fit in, you know, we're all running around with our yellow lawnmower. You can figure out what kind that is. And so you got the riding mower and you turn it on, and the motor roars, because my wife said, You're gonna need a big motor to pull you up those hills. You're not light. So I got the big motor, and so I turned it on, and everything worked the way it was supposed to. And the little hour gauge said zero, and that was pretty cool. And I'm like, well, I don't want to get it dirty. The blades are perfect, everything's great. And then finally, I'm like, well, I should probably do something with it, and I put it in gear, and I got nothing, nothing at all. We weren't going anywhere. Everything worked, but it was not in gear. And then I realized, oh, yeah, there's that rod that goes in the back that you can pull out if you want to disengage the gear so you can push it around. You got to push that rod back in. So the transmission engages so things happen. And so then I was able to mow. And actually, I've been mowing the yard for five. Actually, sometimes I even mow the neighbor's yard behind me. But yeah, it's been a blessing to have that mower and to know how it works. And it's really the only reason to have it, the only reason that it's helpful is because I engage it, that I put it in, that puts the thing in. It's in gear and it goes. And I have a feeling there are some people who read the Bible, who highlight verses, who know so much about the Bible, but they never put their faith in gear and put it into practice. And that's what we want to talk about today is putting God's word into practice. So I'm trying to go through parts of the book of James, giving myself a timeline so that I can hit the book of Luke. By the time we come into the Christmas season, then I'll go through the book of Luke. But today I want to read and focus on James 1, 19 through 27. And it says, My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongue deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. So that is an appropriate text for us in this time in which we live in. I do fear that many of us are becoming experts in Bible trivia instead of being powerfully used by God as we use his word. Number one, be ready to receive God's word. So it's interesting that when you do study the Bible, that you can pull all sorts of passages, all sorts of verses out that can give you great direction, but lose the context. When we talk about being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, that is an important way to live. That's important for parents, that's important for camp counselors, that's important for you at work or wherever you are to live that kind of life. But to know that in the context of everything that we're looking at, we're looking at God's word. We're looking at listening and doing. It even says that on the header for the Bible passage there, but listening and doing. To take note, to take note, to pay careful attention, so to know that these verses apply in so many ways, and that we should be aware of this. We should look at this and say, what is it that I need to learn from this passage? What is it that God wants me to know? How am I supposed to live my Christian life? So just like a manual for a riding mower or a car or whatever else, it is important to know how things work. Otherwise, things will take you by surprise. I have to go to a pastor's conference this coming week, and I need reliable transportation to get there. And as I was driving to church this morning, my chimes and my vehicle started chiming ding ding ding ding ding, and I'm like, oh no. Because one time when it did that, the oil pressure went to zero. And so I was concerned. I'm like, oh no, I hope I don't have car problems. What is it? And then in just a little bit I figured it out. I probably should have read up on it and known. But I had my backpack with my Bible and stuff, my big Bible, on the seat. And so it's a big Bible. And the the vehicle is like, there's something heavy on the seat, it needs a seat belt. And so that's what that chime was for. But when we're listening to things that we don't understand, when we're listening to things that cause us alarm, it's always good to figure out why is that there? Why is that happening? What am I what is my action step? What am I supposed to learn from it? What can I do differently? These are very important things. And here it says that we should be quick, that we should be quick to listen. So that doesn't mean hurried or careless. That means that we should be ready, that we should be eager, that we should be willing, that we should look at God's word and pray, you know, what is it, Lord, that you want me to see here? Holy Spirit, help me to understand this and apply it correctly to my life. Show me what it is that you want me to see. Speak to me through it. Be quick to listen, quick to find out what does the passage actually say? What did it mean to the original people that heard it? What does it mean to me? But to be quick to listen and slow to speak, slow to speak. So now that's something that we do that's wise all the time, that when we hear things, we should be slow to give our answer. I know that some people, I'm not gonna accuse myself, some people hear a conversation and think about how they're gonna respond as opposed to listening. And I knew somebody who did take time to respond. And at first it bothered me. Then I figured out what it was doing, and I'm like, that's really wise. So the person would listen, then there'd be this awkward pause while he was processing what he was gonna say next. And I tell you, the things that he said next were always better than the things that someone else blurted out quickly because it was wise and it was good. But to slow to speak, another thing is that when you're going through God's word and you see passages that you don't necessarily like, that you don't like what it's telling you to do. Slow to speak might be don't be quick to give an excuse of why that would never work today, or why, you know, I don't know why this is in here. That must have been for a long time ago, because it won't work today. Here's all my excuses. Instead of looking for excuses, or even getting mad, even getting mad about what you're reading or what God wants you to do to change your life, to to be humble, to do right. Psalm 119, 18 says, Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. So give God permission to challenge you. Give God the opportunity to speak into your life and be quick to run to it to listen. Be slow to speak and slow to become angry about it. It says, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. So again, human anger is often focused on our reaction. Sometimes human anger isn't even thought through, it's just like a knee-jerk reaction. And sometimes this happens to people where you say something to them and they immediately get angry. And the best thing you can do is to let them process it, and then maybe they'll come back and say, Okay, I understand what you're saying now. So sometimes we make excuses. Sometimes we tell God that that would never work, or that doesn't work for me, or you don't know my circumstances, or you don't know my history, but to know that we need to trust God and His Word. We need to come to it and say, Lord, I want to apply what you have for me. I want it to change my life. In Hebrews 3:15, it says, as has just been said today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. So righteousness is that kind of life that God wants you to have that reflects salvation in you, reflects God's character and fulfills his purpose, purpose, his purposes. So, verse 21. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. So moral for moral filth would be like taking out the garbage or taking out the dirty clothing or doing everything that you can to clean it up. So in my backyard, I have this shed. And I don't keep much in this shed. It's made of corrugated metal and it has all sorts of gaps in it, and I don't really know what the purpose of it was, but I put some stuff in there and I realized that it was infested by something, so I didn't know if it was mice or what it was. And so I looked at how you're supposed to clean it up, and it was a little overwhelming. And so, I mean, there was like droppings everywhere, and it said I was supposed to spray it with disinfectant and not sweep it and not vacuum it and not blow it, but then once it had soaked in, then to clean it up with paper towels or something and put it in double. It was like a hazardous waste situation. It was crazy. And it's like it's even worse if it's a deer mouse, but it was bowls, and so I've been trying to I took a bunch of stuff to the dump. I've been trying to clean it out and everything, but that is a great illustration of filth, of filth that you need to deal with. And so they like, we don't want you to, you don't want to catch any kind of disease or virus or whatever. But anyway, when you're getting rid of the evil and the moral filth, you want to be careful that it doesn't influence you, that it doesn't contaminate you, that it doesn't infect you. And I know that these situations are all around us, that sometimes the place that we live, the apartment building we live in, the people that we work around and stuff like that are great spreaders of moral filth. But we're to do everything we can to live our lives righteously. We can clean up the mess around us, and we can do what we can to disinfect and make things right so that it's all good. We can't always clean up everybody's stuff in our lives, but we can do the best that we can to live differently and to do right. So, because the evil is prevalent. So the evil around us, it can grow, it can spread. We can become so used to it that we don't even think it's evil anymore. So things that God calls out is evil, we might say, well, you know, that was a long time ago. We we should just love everybody just the way they are, and just show grace to everyone and not worry about it. And then we get desensitized to it, we get calloused to it, our consciences become seared towards it, and then we're starting to make bad choices and bad decisions because we've been infected by the moral filth and evil around us. I think that's really true when we listen to music that has all sorts of words that pull us away from God, that have a message that is not even close to righteousness. And we we like the way that it sounds. People are like, I don't listen to the words, I just listen to the music, and it can really affect you and infect you. Music can really make a big difference. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. So when you come to Bible study, maybe you need to think about is there any sin in my life that I need to confess? Is there any attitude that I have that's making me resistant to the things of God? Have I already decided that I'm not going to change, that I'm just gonna read through it, but I'm not gonna let God transform me? So don't do that. 21B says, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. So humbly, gentle, teachable, surrendered, have that kind of spirit. To it doesn't mean you think poorly of yourselves, it means that you recognize that God is right and placing ourselves under the authority of his word makes a difference to accept the word, to read the word, to accept the word, like seed planted in us. So James uses the same word for logos, for word that John did to describe Jesus in John chapter 1. And so back in James' day, James was actually one of the first letters that was written to the church. And so they didn't have the Bible all bound like we do. They don't have 66 books all bound together, ready for us to read and interpret and apply to our lives, but they had what the apostles taught. They had heard the word, they had some of the letters circulating, and they had heard God's saving message and applied it to their life, and now they needed to live it out. And that's what James is trying to do here is he's trying to get these believers to live out the message and the gospel salvation that they now have in their life, trying to live it out in Christian community, in the society around them. And that is a great way to live. It brings joy when that is planted in us. Sometimes when the word of God is planted in us, then it takes root and it grows into so much more, and then we can have a fruitful life, which is good, which can save us. Romans 10 17 says, consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. So if you want to read more today, if you read Romans maybe 10.13 to I don't know, 10.20 or more in that passage, it's so meaningful. It talks about how we can be saved, it talks about how the message of faith comes through the word about Christ. And then how are people gonna hear unless somebody tells them? And how can somebody tell them if they're not sent? And it's just a wonderful passage that motivates us. It is a great thing. You know, seeds, when they're planted, can grow up to do great things. When you plant good seed, you expect a good crop or you expect good things. So I'm not sure if it was a week ago or a week and a half ago. I planted some grass in front of the church there as you walk in, because it's been all, I don't know, it's been a mess for a while. So I roughed up the soil and I put in some topsoil and I put down the seed, and I'm kind of disappointed with the seed because I thought I was just buying seed, but instead I got like seed and filler, I don't know. Instead it covered enough, more than enough area out there, but I've got patches that didn't work. Sometimes your seed springs up right away. And sometimes you keep watering it, and for us, watering seed is you know, you can pray and to water that seed. But I've come in just about every day that it didn't rain, and I've been watering it, trying to get it to grow, and some of it came up right away, and some of it you can just see little tiny green, just not a it's coming, it's there, and then some of it's gonna fill in, I'm sure, if it doesn't freeze, because winter's coming. But nonetheless, sometimes when you are trying to plant the seeds of God's word in your life, sometimes you see immediate results, sometimes it takes a while. Other times you're trying to plant the seed of God's word in other people's lives in the same thing. Sometimes you see it right away, sometimes it takes a while. So last year along my own driveway, I planted some seed and I watered it and everything, and I got nothing, nothing at all. So I'm like, this is terrible seed. I wish I kept the bag, I'd do that return thing, and they could give me my money back. The seed didn't come up, but the next spring, the next spring, all the seed did. So I don't know if it was delayed seed or what, but I was so disappointed that it had failed. But then later I found that at the right time, in the right season, it was working. Have that kind of trust when you are sharing God's word with other people, that at the right time, that seed that you planted can spring up and grow, and that will be a good thing. So, number two, respond by doing what it says. Respond by doing what it says. I know when you see a Bible message based on reading the Bible that you're like, oh yeah, I know this is about we should read the Bible more, we should apply the Bible more, we should memorize the Bible more, and people are like, Yeah, I know that. It's kind of like if we told you that you should eat right or exercise more or whatever. But no, this is really important. This is should be really motivating to do what it says. It says, do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, but do what it says. There is great comfort in listening to God's word. We can listen to passages that give us hope and comfort and assurance, and it's wonderful. And sometimes we hear a sermon or we listen to a message or a podcast or watch a video or whatever, and we're just so moved. We're so moved, it's like, oh, that just really grabbed me. But then we walk out of there and life gets busy, and we get back to all the other things we have to do, and we've made no commitment, we've made no decision, we've made no change to apply it. We didn't sit there and say, Oh, it says I should do this, remove moral filth from my life. So, what action plan do I have? What is one step I could take to start doing that? How would that affect my life? What might it look like to do it? What could make it difficult? What would make it rewarding? And what's the payoff? If I do this, what does my life look like in the future? Could God use me more? Would God bless me more? Yes, He would. But don't just listen to the Word. So, but it doesn't say that. It says just do not merely listen to the word. So merely. So you're just you're listening, but you have no desire to apply it, no desire to take that and use it. Say, God has taught me something new. I'm going to apply it. Deceive means to reason falsely or arrive at the wrong conclusion. So we deceive ourselves. Sometimes we hear the message, and I was so convicted. And then you think that you did repent and you did change, but no, you didn't. You had a feeling that you were convicted, but it made no life change. So there was no repentance. You didn't make any change at all. Verse 23, but anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. So you look at yourself in the mirror and you're like, oh, oh, I got something on my face. I should clean that off. And then you just go out and you don't make any change, you don't change anything on him. That wouldn't make any sense. You would look in the mirror and say, Oh, I need to fix that. I need to wash that off, or something like that. That'd be good. And it's not the mirror, it's not the mirror that's the problem. So the mirror reveals what's already there. In James' day, they didn't have the mirrors like we have now. You know, now we have these mirrors that give a really good reflection. Back then, they had shiny objects that you could look at that would give you a general idea. You'd have to look at it real carefully to try to figure out what you're looking at. I would guess that you could look at At water and get a better picture of yourself than what they had for mirrors back then. But to look at yourself in the mirror and see what you need to change. God's word functions like a spiritual mirror. It shows us what is true about God, but it also shows us what is true about ourselves. So God's word often exposes what's really going on in our heart, in our life. So I was I was reading something in the J. Vernon McGee Bible commentary, and I thought it was worth sharing. So if you don't mind, I'll just read it to you so I don't mess up. But he says, the Bible is not a popular book today. It's the bestseller, but the worst read. It's not popular because it shows us who we are. And then he tells the story. Many years ago in eastern Tennessee, the story went around about a mountaineer's contact with some tourists who had camped in the hills around in his area. Because the mountain folk didn't see many tourists in those days. When the tourists left, this particular mountaineer went to look around the area and see what the campers had left behind. He found several things they had left behind, including a mirror. He had never seen a mirror before. He looked into it longingly and said, I never knew my papy had his picture took. He was sentimental about it, of course. He took it home and he slipped it into the house, climbed up into the loft, and hid the mirror from his wife. His wife saw him, had the mirror, but didn't say anything. After he went out of the house, she went up to see what he had hidden. She found the mirror, and when she looked into it, she said, So that's the old hag he's been running around with. McGee says, May I say to you, it's so easy to read the Word of God and to think it's a picture of someone else. It is a picture of you, and it's a picture of me. And Hebrews 4.12 says, For the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. So when we read about forgiveness, do we think about who we might need to forgive or be forgiven by? When we read about humility, do we think about are we prideful? What are the things that we say when we have an opportunity to share with people, to talk with people, to spend time with people? So immediately forgets. Forgets does not mean that the person cannot remember looking into the mirror. It means he fails to respond to what the mirror revealed. He sees the problem, walks away, and does nothing about it. So we should pray maybe something like this before we look at God's word, Psalm 139, 23. Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Verse 25a. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues into it, to look intently. So how do you read your Bible? What is the best thing that you can do? Well, the first thing you can do is you can pray before you read. You can ask God to open your eyes and give you a teachable heart. Second is look for context. Try to look around in the passage and see who's it being written to and what's going on in the passage. What is the major theme of the discussion so that you don't pull one verse out of context and misunderstand it? Who are they speaking to? What is happening? What comes before and after this passage? Third, observe what the passage actually says. So slow down and notice repeated words, commands, promises, warnings, contrast, and cause and effect statements. Before asking, what does this mean to me? First, ask, what does it actually say? Fourth, try to determine and understand what is meant. What did the original writer intend for it to mean? What are we supposed to do with it today? What does it mean to us? Fifth, look for what the passage teaches you about God. What does this reveal about his character, his purposes, his promises, or his ways? Reading the Bible is not ultimately about finding ourselves on every page, it's about knowing God. Six, connect it to Jesus in the gospel. Ask how this passage fits into God's larger story of creation, sin, redemption, and restoration. Not every verse is directly about Jesus, but the whole Bible ultimately points us towards God's redemptive purposes fulfilled in Christ. And then apply it. So is there something I need to believe, something I need to confess, a command I need to obey, a promise I need to trust, an attitude I need to change, a person I need to forgive, encourage, or help. So if you liked some of the stuff that I just shared, I'd encourage you to get a book like How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart. So I think that Bible text or that book has been around for decades. They keep updating it. But if you read that book, it will give you more ideas on how you can invest yourself in the Bible, different ways that you can read and study the Bible and get the right information to understand the text and to interpret it correctly. So when you're looking in to the perfect law that gives freedom, when you're looking in to the scripture, that can change your life too. When you think about law, you think about God's authority. So the Bible isn't just helpful suggestions, but it teaches us how to live. It can give us confidence. So the freedom means not doing whatever we want. The freedom is living out the Christ's life, like Jesus said in John 8 31. Jesus said to the people who believed in him, You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Free from sin, free from condemnation, free from an empty life, free from going through this life without a task. We're to make disciples in Jesus, and that is a good thing. Not forgetting what they had heard, but doing it sometimes. Sometimes I'm good at this, sometimes I'm not. I don't really have a system for journaling. Some people are so good at journaling. Every day they'll journal what they learned, what they read in God's word, and how it made an impact in their life. Some people get large margin Bibles and they write in really tiny print in the margins of the Bible. So sometimes I journal, but usually it's on a just a random piece of paper. I have some journal entries that like are on napkins, but sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But it can be really helpful for you if you're trying to grow in God's word, to write down stuff that you've learned that you've been taught, maybe commitments that you've made. Maybe like I read this passage here, and therefore I'm going to start to live my life this way, or quit doing this thing, or I'm going to start doing that thing. And it can really make a difference. And you can also look back on it. Sometimes in your journal, too, you maybe put prayer requests. And that's some of the greatest journal things that I've written down. Is there were times where my life seemed hopeless, and I didn't know how God was going to provide or how we were going to get through that trouble or that bill or that housing need or whatever. And I wrote that down. And it was such a pressing need. I was just so concerned about it. Now when I look back, I see how God worked, how God provided, how God helped. And it was a good thing, but not forgetting what they heard, but doing it. They will be blessed in what they do. That doesn't mean that God is going to shower you with abundant finances. He might, but that's not a guarantee. But you will have God's favor. God will be pleased. God will be working in your life. You will have a better quality of life because you will be blessed in what you do when you follow God's word. And number three, let God's word reshape how you live. Let God's word reshape how you live. That whole transformation, not just a restoration, not to just to make you as good as you were, but to make you even better, to make you the way that God intended before we all fell into sin to reshape you. James 1.26. If you consider yourself religious and don't keep a tight rein on your tongue, you deceive yourselves and your religion is worthless. People are religious. They go through the motions, they do read the Bible, they do all these things, but it is like a form of them trying to make themselves right before God more than just being a sold-out, committed Christ follower. However, sold-out committed Christ followers are also considered religious. So we should be careful what comes out of our mouths. We should be careful because God knows, God sees, and what we say can make a big difference. James is going to talk about that in the future. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress. So this verse right here causes me the most difficulty because my budget does not allow me to do everything that I would want to do to help look after an orphan or a widow in their distress. And I don't know what to do about it. Am I supposed to go in debt to do that? I mean, there's so many people with needs and so many people around. And I'd love to help everybody if God provided the funds, but if He doesn't, what do I do? And so praying about it and thinking about it, and even some Bible commentaries helped. But what can you do? What can you do to help these people that need something? Maybe you can't provide their rent, but maybe you can provide a meal. Maybe you can't fix everything, but maybe you can buy some clothes. Maybe you can show care, spend time with, do those types of things. That might be a good way to deal with that. So if you want to take this verse into action and you are willing to give a widow a ride to church in the wintertime that lives in Virginia, let me know because there might be one or two people that would benefit from rides to church. That would be a blessing. So keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Like Romans 12, 2. Don't conform to the pattern of this world, but being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. So the pattern of the world try to teach us the way we should dress, the things, the way that we should think about things, the way that we should present ourselves, the way that we should be silent when certain issues are talked about, and how we should speak up when other issues are talked about. It tries to program us, but we want God's word to transform us by renewing our mind so that we'll know what God's will is that comes through God's will. Now, I don't want you to think that if you just do these things, if you just apply God's word and be religious and everything, that you'll be right with God, because it literally says, don't just listen to it, but do what it says. So what are some things that it says? Just real quick. James 118 from last week. It says, He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word, and we out of all creation became his prize possession. So a new birth, to be born again, to have to be a new creation in Christ, he chose to give birth to us through his true word, through Jesus and the word of God that he has given us. And so we become his prized possession. But how does that happen? How does that happen? We all know John 3.16, at least I think we do, that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned. But whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is something that you need to hear, something that you need to apply, that you need to put into action. Have you believed? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Because when we come to Christ, we become a new creation, born again, saved, assured heaven, given the Holy Spirit, so many things happen when we receive Christ, and we're no longer condemned. God sees the righteousness of Christ in us. But if you don't believe, if you don't place your faith in Christ, if you don't apply his word, then you will be condemned because you have not believed in Jesus. One more verse, and then we'll be done. But God saved you by his grace when you believed, and you can't take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Our salvation is everything on Jesus and hardly anything on us. So we just received the gift. God has prepared the gift, delivered it through Jesus, and we receive it. We can't work our way into heaven. Salvation isn't this gift that we earned, that we get, and we're like, oh, I did all the steps, I read all the passages, I did all the, I filled on all the Bible study guides, and therefore I have earned salvation. No, it's not a reward for the things we have done, it is a gift from God. No one's gonna get to heaven and boast and say, Oh, I can't believe it. I did so many good things, I deserve to be here. We're all gonna be like, I don't deserve to be here. Praise God, Jesus came into my life. Praise the Lord. So if you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, maybe today is a day that maybe in prayer you would admit that you are a sinner that needs to be saved because Jesus died on the cross for your sins. But he didn't stay there, he rose again, and he offers you an opportunity to have a new life, a new opportunity to understand God's word, to be a Christ follower, and everything that goes with the whole package deal. It's not easy. Sometimes life even gets harder, but it is a great opportunity to walk with Jesus day by day, no matter how dark and difficult life gets, no matter how much of a struggle there is, that you have the hope in Christ. You pray and God answers prayer and often answers your prayer by providing needs. Sometimes He says, wait, sometimes He says, not now, but so many times we pray, God answers. We have the Holy Spirit that helps us to know what need we need to change in our life so we can live that life that God has for us, that best life, the one that we really want, the one that will bring joy and purpose, and we'll look back on and see the greatest results. So I'm gonna pray, and we can just be dismissed and yeah, be a good Sunday. Jesus, I thank you so much for these people here. I thank you that you have given us an opportunity to look into your word. I pray when people pick up their Bibles that they would look at it with so much more than just the reading plan, that they would look at it with so much more than just reading the text and saying, I got my Bible reading done for the day. But they would look into it and say, God, what is here? What do I need to know? What do I need to change? What could I be doing? What might I be missing out on? Lord, help me to understand and apply these words to my life. And Lord, once I understand, help me to share it with others and to teach and guide and disciple them. We just pray that you would help people to come into a right relationship with Jesus, that they would be saved. And we pray that the saved people would pick up their obligation, their duty, and their opportunity to teach others and to make disciples, to use their gifts and to grow your church and kingdom. And we just pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.