DRAW NEAR:RECEIVE AND DO

THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD

James 1:21-27: “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 a

man who looks at his face in a mirror and,

after looking at himself, goes away and

immediately forgets what he looks like. But

the man who looks

intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,

and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in

what he does. If

anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a

tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his 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.”

I. HEAR THE MESSAGE OF THE

WORD WITH HUMILITY.

If we are to draw near to God we must read the

Word with humility.

II. REFLECT ON WHAT IT MEANS IN

YOUR LIFE.

Jesus described it like this, “They honor Me with their lips, but

their hearts are far from Me.”

James gives us three examples in verse 26 to

use to test our relationship with God:

1) Anyone who has an unbridled tongue cannot

be close to God.

2) Anyone who is not generous in helping

those who are needy: poor, widows, orphans

cannot be close to God.

3) Anyone who is living a morally impure life

cannot be close to God.

We are to plant the Word in our lives.

III. DO THE NEEDED CHANGES THAT ARE REVEALED TO YOU.

Matthew 22:29-“You err because you do not

know the Scriptures or the power of God.”

Mirrors show us exactly what we look like. So does the Bible.

The question is what are you going to do with

what it reveals?