Thanks so much for going through this lesson with me. Your interest in Bible Study will lead you to great places because the Word of God has everything we need to be happy and fulfilled in life. This study emphasizes the importance of not just hearing the Word of God but doing it as well. Peter emphasized this point.
1 Peter 1:22 (KJV) Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Purification comes when we obey the word of God because obedience is the fulfilling or completion of our belief. In reality, we are not believers until we have obeyed. In this lesson we will learn the importance of obedience to Gods’ word.
Doing The Word
In the days of Ezekiel the prophet the people came to the house of God and heard the word of God. They enjoyed the music and the worship yet was not willing to follow through with obedience. It should be easy for us to understand the error of this. This religious atmosphere was not exclusive to Ezekiel’s day. The Lord told Ezekiel that the people were in error because they would not do what had been commanded of them. It is also important for each of us to be careful to obey God because it is not enough to hear, we must follow through and do the Word.
Professing But Not Possessing
The ministry of Jesus Christ was focused on hearing and doing the word. The following scriptures will reveal this fact.
Luke 11:39-54 (KJV) And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. [40] Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? [41] But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. [42] But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. [43] Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. [44] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. [45] Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. [46] And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. [47] Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. [48] Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. [49] Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: [50] That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; [51] From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. [52] Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. [53] And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: [54] Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
We find here that he upbraided and condemned the religious people of his day for their hypocrisy. He also taught the virtue and blessing of doing his word. When it came to the hypocrites he was very hard and to the point. He was trying to help them understand that their lack in this area made all of their religious activity of no effect. It was no wonder that they hated him. Their hearts were far from God even though they were saying the right things. We too must be careful not to fall into this trap.
Building On The Rock
Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Jesus declared here that not all who say the right things would enter into the kingdom of heaven. The ones who are truly saved will be those who do his will. This basic truth is so simple yet so profound. We cannot rightfully call ourselves believers until we have obeyed his word. He then goes on in verses 24-27 to place everyone into two categories.
Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV) Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: [25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. [26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: [27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
The first category is the wise man. The second is the foolish man. We show God that we are wise or foolish by our actions. In this parable two men built houses. One house was built on the rock and the other on the sand. I would like to think that the house on the sand was prettier and larger than the one on the rock. My reasoning is that the man who built on the sand put more money into the looks of his house rather than the foundation. The wise man on the other hand, put extra time and money into the foundation.
Luke 6:48 (KJV) He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
This scripture says that he dug deep. This kind of effort takes time and money. His effort was not focused on the beauty of the house ( ones life) but in its’ ability to weather a great storm. Jesus said, “When the storm came.” This is a fact of life for all of us. The storm will come and if we are to weather it we must have a solid foundation that goes deep into hearing and doing the word.
Romans 10:14 (KJV) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
The way that we hear is by a God called preacher. We cannot believe unless we hear. The rest is up to us.
Faith And Works
Let’s go a little deeper into this subject of doing the Word of God. When we do so, the subject of faith is interjected. The Bible declares that it is impossible to please God without faith.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We must all strive to please God by walking in faith. It is essential however to understand what real faith is.
James 2:14-26 (KJV) What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, [16] And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? [17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. [18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. [19] Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. [20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? [21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? [22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? [23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. [24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. [25] Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? [26] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Here in James 2 we find a beautiful explanation of this biblical teaching. It becomes quite apparent that this thing called faith is not just words but corresponding action. The old story is told of a tightrope walker who was to attempt a crossing of the Niagara Falls. As he was about to cross over he called to the crowd and asked, “How many believe that I can make it to the other side?” Everyone shouted back that they believed he could do it. “Alright then, who will get on my shoulders and go over with me?” Suddenly there were no more believers. When it came right down to it they did not believe. In the same way, faith without works is a dead faith. Many today profess a belief in Christ Jesus. “I’m a believer” is the popular cry. Yet, Jesus is not interested in what we profess but rather in what we posses. James talked about Abraham in his dialog on faith. He related the famous story of God calling him to offer his son as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah.
Genesis 22:1-14 (KJV) And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. [2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. [3] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. [4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. [5] And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, [6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. [7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? [8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. [9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. [10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. [11] And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. [12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. [13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. [14] And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Abraham heard the word of God and then rose up early to do it. James states that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Is it any wonder that the scriptures teach us that the just shall live by faith?
Galatians 3:11 (KJV) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Abrahams faith (faith and works ie; obedience) was counted to him for righteousness. Is it any wonder that we find in other scriptures that the just shall live by faith?
Galatians 3:11 (KJV) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Abraham’s faith (faith and obedience ie: works) were pleasing to God. Let us understand however that through all of this God never planned for Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. Jesus came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them. You and I will never lose by obeying God. According to James we are not justified by faith only. The word justified means: to regard as just or innocent. We are however, justified by our faith and works together. It is not enough to hear the word only. To be a true believer we must be doers of the word. When we are hearers only we deceive ourselves.
James 1:22 (KJV) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Along this same line the Apostle Paul declares that the hearers of the law are not justified before God. He goes on to say that it is the doers of the law that are justified.
Romans 2:13 (KJV) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Obedience to the word of God is always a cleansing experience. The soul is purified when faith and obedience are applied. Many people have made the statement, “I can’t do the commandments on my own. This is true of course, but through the power of the Holy Ghost we can do the will of God and keep his commandments. Jesus promised us that we would have the power through his Spirit.
Acts 1:8 (KJV) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Conclusion
Thanks for going through this lesson. Your comments are very important and if you have any questions on this subject please contact us and we will be glad to help you. I pray that God’s blessings will be with you always.
Sincerely
Greg Wirths
Focus on Freedom
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Focus On Freedom 
Great lesson. Well written. Very fluid in thought. I know that whoever takes the time to read it will be blessed as it will show the value and importance of not just “hearing” the Word of God, but “doing” it!
Blessings!
TW