Running To Win

Announcer: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The Bible is not a book like an encyclopedia. You read it not so much to learn but to find your life changed. James tells us to receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. Today, how to do just that. Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, tell us where we're headed today as we turn to the book of James.

Erwin Lutzer: Well Dave, what's so exciting is that James tells us how to receive the word of God. There's so many people who come to church and I believe that their minds are made up. They are distracted. James is going to tell us to receive the word of God with a sense of welcome and openness.

I've written a book entitled Managing Your Emotions. I wrote this book because I wanted people to understand that emotions can be either good or bad. In other words, God has given us emotions. Jesus had emotions. And of course, it is because of emotions that oftentimes life becomes very exciting, but your emotions should not control you.

I believe that this book will be a tremendous blessing to you. And here's some contact info. Here's what you can do: go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. For a gift of any amount, you can receive Managing Your Emotions. And how do we manage emotions? We listen carefully to the word of God.

Let me begin today with a question. Have you ever been deceived? I'm sure we've all experienced that and the reason is because we believed a lie. So let me follow up with another question: have you ever deceived yourself? Have you ever believed your own lies? Lies that you perhaps want to believe about yourself or about your situation and you've talked yourself into it? Or you may not even know that what you have come to believe is a lie. Deception.

Well, we're going to plunge right into the scriptures. Would you take your Bible and turn please to James chapter 1. James chapter 1. And as always, it is so important that we see the text because I want you to understand the text and the sequence of the text.

James chapter 1 and I'm going to pick it up directly in verse 22. It says this: but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Well, there it is, deceiving yourselves. Greek scholars tell us that the word that is used there, hearers, is a word that could be used for auditors. Don't be an auditor.

Now you know what an auditor is. An auditor is somebody who comes into class, doesn't want to take any exams, doesn't write the term papers. And if he audits all of his classes, he won't graduate, but he's there just in case there's something very interesting for him to learn, but there's no follow-through. I used to teach. I didn't like auditors. You know, they're there, well, as long as it's interesting, I'll come and hear you, but I don't have to come to class. I can skip because I'm just an auditor.

The problem with auditors are the ones who confuse knowing and believing and they are oftentimes deceived because they think to themselves, I've heard the lecture, I've heard the class, somehow they think in their minds therefore they have done it.

If you want an unbelievably chilling story in the New Testament about deception, it is the words of Jesus. Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? Lord, have we not done many miracles? And I will say to them, I never knew you, depart from me ye workers of iniquity. Keep in mind that these people actually thought that the door of heaven would swing open for them, but they discovered that it didn't because at the end of the day, they were ones who heard the word but didn't understand, didn't really believe and didn't follow through. They were auditors.

Well, your Bibles are open to James chapter 1 because what we're going to do in the next few moments is to give you instruction on how to make sure that you benefit from the word of God. And this message applies to listening to a sermon. That of course is very important to me to emphasize that. But it also applies to those of you who are listening to the scriptures. Many of you who are listening here for the first time may not know that here at the church we are committed to listening to the New Testament in 40 days or reading it. And you're involved in that. And what you want to do is to make sure that you won't just be an auditor deceiving yourself.

About 35 years ago I read a sermon by the great 19th-century preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon. And whenever I think of that text I think of his outline and I'm using his outline. And I didn't have to check his sermon to see what the outline was. I remembered it because it is so easy to remember, so logical to remember, that I believe for those of you who will still be alive in 35 years' time that somebody should say, "Now what was that outline that Pastor Lutzer used that he took from Spurgeon on this passage?" and you'll know it just like that. Can you believe that? 35 years from now? I think so. I think that there may be some skeptics present, but God will overcome that skepticism.

Are you ready for it? It's this simple and easy to remember. Spurgeon says that this passage of scripture teaches us what to do before a sermon or a Bible reading, what to do during a sermon, and what to do after a sermon. Easy to remember and it's all in the text. Thanks for joining us on this journey.

First of all, Spurgeon says the text helps us to understand what we should do before a sermon. Now I'm actually in verse 21: therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness. Wow, that's quite a statement. We don't even like the word filthy. And yet James here is talking about issues in our life, sinful issues of unconquered sin that he refers to as filthy.

Now some of those sins of course may be in the preceding verse. Know this, brothers, let every one of us be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. The fact is that many of us are quick to speak because we want to hear the sound of our own voice. Furthermore, we're having a conversation with someone and we are not slow to hear because we don't care what their story is, all that matters is our story. James said now become interested in other people's story. Be swift to hear, slow to speak because you know that what comes out of your mouth is representing the King of Kings who redeemed you, so you don't want to be flippant in the sense that you just say the first thing that comes into your head, but you are slow to speak and you're very slow to anger.

Now that of course would be included under the word filthy or excess of wickedness, the two terms that James uses here. But of course many other things are there as well. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you: is there filthiness in your life? Or is there, as our translation says, rampant out-of-control wickedness? James says lay it aside. Weed the garden before you get to the word of God. Because if you and I come to the scriptures and we have all of these issues and all of these sins that we've not confessed before God and all of these issues in our relationship with other people, when we come to listen to a message or to hear the word of God, we'll discover it'll be something like water on a marble slab. It will not affect us. That's why you find that there are people who memorize scripture and they go to Bible camp and they learn all the verses and then they turn away from God. Because what they are is auditors.

Now let's talk very, very bluntly and clearly. I believe that in many families, and remember Rebecca and I used to have small children, in many families the most unholy hour of the whole week is preparation to go to church Sunday morning. Isn't that true? Anybody identify with that? You know the kids they don't eat breakfast, they want to sleep in because it's Sunday morning. Father is out in the car honking the horn because he knows he's late. Mother is upset because she's saying, well father didn't help much and therefore you know well he can take his breakfast with him, they say of the kids. And everybody comes and then it's difficult to park and then you come in. Listen, on a Richter scale of one to ten in terms of unholiness, that hour might be a number eight at least.

How do you circumvent that? Well, first of all, you get started earlier in the morning and I know all that too. But the least thing that you and I should do is when we come into this sanctuary, what we should do is spend a few moments, hopefully you get here early. Listen, those of you who are here early, could I just say a word of encouragement to you? I believe that in heaven your crown is going to be so heavy that your head will be tilted. Which also says something about the latecomers but we can slide over that.

This sanctuary is not a place for you to meet with your friends before the service. Do that out in the hallway. When you come into this place what you should do is to say, God, I've had a difficult morning, I've had a difficult week and I know it's going to be—the last week with all of its difficulties was much better than the one I'm going to have. So Lord, would you just quiet my soul? Help me to confess and deal with issues that are standing here as a barrier because soon we're going to be singing praises to God, soon we're going to be asked to listen to your holy word and I am here to meet you and I'm preparing my heart. James says if you don't want to be an auditor, lay aside all filthiness, all excess of wickedness, some translations say excess of malice. Lay it aside and then during a sermon.

So first of all you want to remember this outline: before a sermon, cleansing. During a sermon, humility. Receive with meekness the engrafted word that is able to save your souls. Meekness means humility. What you do is you come and you say Lord speak to me, I want to learn, I'm not here to oppose you. I tell you it's very dangerous business to oppose God. And the Bible says God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. I for one do not want to be in opposition with God because I know who's going to win and who's going to lose.

So James says come and do it with submission. Are you willing to listen to God's word, to really hear what he has to say to you today? You know that it's so important to do this. Let me give you an example and an illustration as to how you and I should listen to the word of God, whether preached, listened to, or read. Let us suppose that you had a very, very wealthy aunt. Some of you say aunt, but I'm talking about the same person. And once casually when you're over there, she happens to say that she's remembered you in her will. She hasn't said anything beyond that. You know that rich relatives often make bad friends but they can make wonderful ancestors.

And so you know now the attorney has called a meeting and her will is going to be read and you're present. You wouldn't care whether or not he was well-dressed. You wouldn't care whether or not his outline was as clear as the one I'm giving you today. You wouldn't care about anything. What you're doing is you're listening for your name. That's what you're listening for. Did she leave me some money or did she leave me a debt? What did she do?

When you come to hear the word of God, you are listening for your name. You're coming and you're saying, oh God, what do you have to say to me today? My soul is thirsty, my need is great, and I need to hear your voice.

Vance Havner was a country preacher who had all kinds of witticisms that he used to roll off in his sermons. You know, he'd say things like, "Most church services begin at 11 o'clock sharp and they end at 12 o'clock dull." He'd say things like that. But I also remember something else that he said. He said, "I've never yet had a sermon where I didn't get anything." But he said, "I've had some mighty close calls." We've all had our close calls. I'm sure I have preached my share of forgettable messages. We've had close calls.

As God would have it, this morning I was in the church early as I always am on Sunday and I was looking through some of the mail that arrived and there was a letter from somebody who said that in our church, the preaching—he's talking about his church—he said that the preaching is about 2% milk, the 2% kind. Now folks, no matter how bad the sermon may be, no matter how imperfect it may be, listen for your name.

I quoted Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I'm using his outline today and you know he was once walking through the snow, he got to this little church and the preacher wasn't there. The preacher couldn't get to church on Sunday. So there was a layman who stood up and said, "Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be saved." Spurgeon, at the age of 17, sitting in the back of that little church, heard that and was converted and was one of the greatest preachers this world has ever seen besides Jesus and Paul. You never know when you hear God's word.

So James says, all right now remember 35 years from now I want you to remember this outline. Before a sermon, cleansing. During a sermon, humility. After a sermon, well obviously the word that you're expecting me to say and I will say is obedience. But let's look at the text, okay?

Verse 22: but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he is going to be blessed in what he is doing.

James says it's like a man looking in the mirror. Now I need to tell you that in Greek there are two different words for man. There's one word for man which means mankind, it could include women. That's not the word that James is using here. He's using a word that can only be translated male. He has a man in mind. Now whenever you approach the gender issue you begin to get a little nervous. I mean after all we're living in a day and age where we can't even build a snowman anymore. It has to be a snowperson that has to be built. But I'm going to skate across this really fast.

Now just tell me honestly, one on one, who is it that spends more time in front of a mirror? The male species or the female species? I mean is there any debate about that? I don't think so. I don't think so. You see James knows that it's not like a woman to look in the mirror and then go her way and forget what she was like. Men will. They'll look at the mirror, they'll maybe use a little bit of mouthwash, throw on some cologne, and hey they're fine. And they forget about all the rest. James says that's the way auditors do it. You see what they do is they look at the law, they're there on Sunday, they listen to a sermon and then they go their way and they forget about it and they don't apply it and they forget the truth of it.

You know that's so important and of course when James spoke about that, he was specifically speaking about men. In the text it is clear. But at the same time we have to recognize that God wants us to take in the word of God no matter who we are and be changed by it. That's why I've written a book entitled Managing Your Emotions. Someone has likened feelings to horses that have gone wild and they are out of control. Our emotions need to be under our control. Now sometimes we can't control them, but biblically emotions are to enhance us and to help us and not become a hindrance. I'm talking about negative emotions which oftentimes drag us down.

I think that this book will be of tremendous help to you. It's entitled Managing Your Emotions. And for a gift of any amount we're making it available for you. And I want to emphasize once again, thank you so much for reaching out to us. Thank you for helping us, thank you for your prayers, for your gifts, because the ministry of Running to Win goes around the world. Thank you so much in advance. But here's the contact info: go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or you can call 1-888-218-9337. Remember the title of the book: Managing Your Emotions.

Announcer: Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. John listens to Running to Win in South Carolina and has this question: "I'm wondering about something I read in your books on Your Eternal Reward and How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity with God. You speak of rewards in these books, but I'm confused as to how I can tell the difference between the false convert of Matthew chapter 7 and the disobedient, fleshly believer in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. I worry because I fear two of my brothers are not saved. They have no fruit or signs of repentance despite calling out to God when they were young. My conclusion is that they are not saved and I worry."

Erwin Lutzer: Well John, first of all, thank you so much for being so observant as you read. You asked a question that has baffled many people. First of all, the difference between Matthew chapter 7 and 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

In Matthew chapter 7, these people claim to have done many things in the name of Jesus, but Jesus said, "Depart from me, I never knew you." This is not an instance where he knew them and then forgot them. He said, "I never knew you." This means that they were never joined to him in saving faith. They were self-deceived. They thought they were serving him, but they really were not.

Now when you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3, you are dealing with people that Paul calls "carnal" or "fleshly," but he also calls them "babes in Christ." And he says that their works are going to be burned. He uses the analogy of wood, hay, and stubble. But then it says, "He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." In other words, he's basically pulled out of the fire, but all of his works are left behind and burned. These were people who were saved, but they were unfaithful.

Now your question is, how do you know into which category your brothers fit? Well, the simple answer is, we don't always know. There are people who seem to be very carnal, but they were genuinely saved. Perhaps they are under some deep sin. They're backslidden. There are other people who think they are saved, but they aren't.

I think the best way to handle your brothers is this: remind them that if they are saved, there should be some evidence. 1 John makes it very clear that those who are born of God do not make a practice of sin. In other words, their lives are changed. And remind them that there's such a thing as being a false convert. My heart goes out to you, John, as you pray for your brothers, because only God knows for sure whether or not they are truly his.

Announcer: Thank you, John. And thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on "Ask Pastor Lutzer" or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.

Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your life. Next time, Pastor Lutzer continues to explore the book of James as we look at how the word of God blesses us. Thanks for listening. For Dr. Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.