WE MUST BE “DOERS” OF THE WORD
1) An unknown author once showed how Christians can fail and fail miserably:
2) I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger.
3) I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your place of worship and prayed for my release.
4) I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.
5) I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
6) I was homeless and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
7) I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.
8) You seem so holy, so close to God. But I’m still very hungry and lonely and cold.
9)
These words
bring us to Acts 10:6, a passage where there is a small variation in
some Bible manuscripts.
10) The KJV has some words the ASV does not have.
11) Tonight we want to take our text from the end of Acts 10:6 in the KJV.
12) As we heard for the scripture reading these words say: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.”
a) A man interested in God was told there were some thing had to “do.”
b) After this man became a Christian, he found there more things he had to “do.”
13) Tonight we want to consider the word “do” and see just how important this word is in the Bible.
14) The word do would seem to have a great deal of relevance because of what Jesus said in Mt. 5:19.
a) Here the Lord spoke about people who would be “great” in the kingdom of heaven.
b) Jesus pictured people who live a life that pleases God.
c) He tells us how to achieve such a life: - verse 19 – READ
15) It is important to “teach” what is found in the gospel. Jesus says that is not going to be enough.
16) We can know what is right, believe what is right, and even teach what is right.
17) If we do not “do” what is right, we are not going to fare too well.
a) In this same sermon Jesus made a second point about the things we “do.”
b) This information is in the next chapter – Mt. 6:1.
c) He said there are some limitations on what we do – verse 1 of Mt. 6 – READ
18) We are to be “doers of the word,” but Jesus said we are not to put on a show.
19) People can brag about what they do – this is true for almost any type of activity.
a) In the workplace a person may boast about all his accomplishments.
b) At school there are those who brag about how they helped someone or did something great.
c) In the church people can boast about what they have done.
d) Very few people like to listen to boasters. God certainly does not have any interest in that.
e) Mt. 5 tells us to be a “doer,” and Mt. 6 warns us to not boast about what we do.
20) Then in Mt. 7 we come to a third point about being a “doer.”
a) A person may do all kinds of things. Jesus said our “doing” is to take a particular form.
b) It is to be done with a specific set of criteria – most of us know what that criteria is.
c) Mt. 7:12 – READ
21) How are we to “do” things in our lives? Jesus said treat people like we want to be treated.
22) We are to think of how we want people to deal with us, and we deal with them in that same manner.
a) I recently read about a story involving the military—an event that happened on July 4th, 1954.
b) Two army baseball teams were getting ready to face off against each other.
c) Team A had as its commander a three star general.
23) Team B was led by a two star general who took baseball very, very seriously.
24) The two star general had a smaller pool of men to use, but most of his players were professionals.
a) The day of the game came and both teams began to play ball.
b) Team A was the visiting team and they were taking a licking.
c) It was the bottom of the first and the score was 18 to 0.
d) A sergeant from the winning team came to see the two-star general (his team’s commander).
e) Since it was July, it was hot. The sergeant was wiping sweat from his face.
f) Remember, this general was the one who liked baseball and really liked to win.
25) The sergeant said to his team’s general: “Sir, permission to end the game due to snow.”
a) The general shot back, “Permission granted.”
b) To be sure the point is not missed, understand that there was no snow. This was July 4th.
c) The winning team stopped the game to let the other team save face.
d) The team that was so far ahead limited the other team’s embarrassment and humiliation.
e) This is how love acts (works).
26) When we see the word “do” in the Bible, it has a lot of meaning for Christians.
27) When we see “do to others as you want them to do to you,” we have a rule we can often apply.
28) Being a “doer” of God’s word is important for many reasons.
a) Jesus picked up on this theme again in Mt. 12:50.
b) He said if we “do” the will of God, we are part of His family.
c) Jesus said obedience will make us His mother, brother or His sister.
29) Not long ago one of President Bush’s daughters got married.
30) As I saw that report I wondered what it would have been like to have been young man in that wedding.
31) What would it be like to marry a mate whose dad is the President of the United States?
a) That marriage would make for some interesting in-laws.
b) God says there is something that is even higher and better.
c) We can become part of the Lord’s family if we simply become a “doer” of God’s word.
32) I would like to think that people would be attracted to this choice and select this path.
33) In reality we find that many will not choose this course.
a) Mt. 13:41 refers to those who “do iniquity.”
b) There are people—often many people—who select sin.
c) People sometimes want what is unrighteous. They do not want to be part of the Lord’s family.
d) Sin is preferred over salvation. Every single person is called on to make a choice.
e) Do the will of God or do something else – we cannot do both. Neither is there a third choice.
f) We seek God with all of our heart, soul mind and life or we do not.
34) Part of our “doing” involves worship.
a) Worship is an activity that God expects from those who become His people.
b) Not only does God expect us to engage in worship, He expects us to do it in the right way.
35) In Mt. 15:9 Jesus said it is possible to “do” worship in the wrong way.
36) He did not say we can do worship “badly.” That is possible.
37) There may be times when worship does not go the way we plan.
a) Jesus spoke about worship being done “in vain” (i.e. rejected by God).
b) In our day and time many seem to think worship is worship.
c) Worship offered in place A may be much different than that offered in place B, but it does not matter.
d) God just wants worship. That is not true. We cannot find that type of statement in the Bible.
e) We have an obligation to worship, but Jesus said it must be done “in truth.”
f) If we do not worship in truth, the worship does not count (God rejects it).
JESUS
TALKED ABOUT BEING A “DOER” DURING HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY, BUT HE DID MORE
THAN TALK. HE HIMSELF WAS A
“DOER.”
a) Acts 1:1 says the Lord “did and taught.”
b) If we want to be the people of God, this is the way for us to live—we need to do and teach.
c) Sometimes we may need to ask for help when it comes to doing the will of God.
2) Acts 2:37 says on the Day of Pentecost people said “what must we do?”
3) Non-Christians understood they had some type of obligation.
4) An inspired man told them what was necessary. Today we may need reminders of what we need to do.
5) Paul used the word “do” in First Corinthians 16 to remind the Corinthians about worship.
a) These Christians had an obligation to assemble on a regular basis.
b) There was a duty to contribute part of the income they had.
c) Later in this chapter (verse 14) Paul said love is associated with the word “do.”
d) People may do things for a variety of reasons.
e) God says our “doing” is to be rooted and grounded in love.
6) Christians have love, but this is mixed with another quality: goodness.
7) 2 Cor. 13:7 says “do what is honorable (good) instead of doing what is evil.”
a) Then in verse 8 Paul spoke of “doing nothing against the truth.”
b) If we take the general principles given tonight, we have a rough outline for the entire Christian life.
8) We are to be doers, that means treating people as we want to be treated, avoiding things that are evil, seeking to do things that are in accordance with the truth, and living an active Christian life.
9) The word “do” tells us how to please God and get to heaven.
10) It is therefore no wonder that God’s word says be “doers” and “not hearers only” (Jas. 1:22).
11) This verse also says if we hear but do not “do,” we “deceive our own selves.’
12) In our doing Gal. 2:10 reminds us to be “zealous” (ASV translation).
a) Each one of us has a limited amount of time.
b) Each day part of our life is taken away and we will never get that time back.
c) We cannot recover the time that passes; we can only try to make better choices in the future.
d) This is a strong incentive to be the best possible “doer” we can be each single day.
13) We may be tempted to complain as we do some things associated with Christianity.
14) We want to be a doer who does not complain.
15) Phil. 2:14 says God’s “doers” are not whiners.
16) We want to be “cheerful doers” (thankful we have a part in God’s service and kingdom).
17) In our doing we can forget the things of the past (Phil. 3:13).
18) All we do we do it “heartily” unto the Lord (Col. 3:23).
19) We “do” the work God has given us to do (2 Tim. 4:5).
20) It was said of Jesus (Heb. 10:7) that He would come to “do” the will of God. This was right.
21) How fully does the word “do” describe us?
22) Do we live to do the will of God ? Is God’s will important to us?
23) Or, are we someone who hears, but refuses to “do” and thus we deceive our own selves.
24) We must be a doer of the word and tonight we hope and pray that describes you.