Sermon or Lesson:  James 1:25 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  Studying, Internalizing, And Applying God’s Word Brings Blessings

INTRO:  Have you ever purchased at a store an apparatus in a box that required sophisticated assembly after you got it home?  Upon opening the box and pulling out all the parts and instructions, you then discover that you do not have all the tools required for assembly, the instructions are illegible for an ordinary person and it’s pictures make no sense, you need an engineering degree to figure out how to assemble the thing, you did not realize you needed to buy batteries to make it work, assembly is going to take several hours, you inadvertently damaged a part because you tried to put it in the wrong way, and to top it all off, the apparatus is not going to adequately fulfill the function as described on its box.
     When you face a situation like this, do you throw aside the instructions and try to ‘wing it’ on your own?  What results does that get you?  Frustration?  Anger?  Steam rolls out your ears?  Cuss words go a-flying?  A mess?
     Hindsight experience dictates that it is best to slow down, take your time, study the instructions thoroughly, repeatedly refer to the instructions along each step, digest what the instructions are saying, and adhere to the instructions completely all the way through to the very end of assembly.  You learn the hard way that haphazardly glancing at and then ignoring the instructions does not accomplish a good outcome.  In a similar way, haphazardly glancing at and then ignoring the instructions of God’s Word likewise does not accomplish a good outcome.
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READ: James 1:25, with vv.22-24 for context

[Lesson Question:  What do the phrases in verse 25 mean and imply?]

SECTION POINT:  The Word of God requires close examination and study.

“looks intently into“:
“looks intently” - (Zodhiates, p.1108 #3879) “to bend, stoop; to stoop down near or by something, bend forward or near in order to look at something more closely; metaphorically, meaning to look into, find out, know”
- - involves learning, memorizing - “not forgetting”;
- - further involves contemplating, reviewing, careful scrutinizing, examining;
- - suggests meditating, studying, wrestling with the law;
- - is conducted with intensity;
- - is not selective and does not ignore what is not liked;
- - signifies putting in extra effort (intently, bend, stoop down); i.e. to strive;
- - implies striving to gain understanding in order to acquire the correct and full meaning;
- - implies striving to apply it correctly and fully in one’s life;
- - implies taking permanent ownership of all the principles and precepts derived and learned from “looking intently into”.

- - In context, because “doing what the word says” (v.22) involves more that just going through the motions to keep the commands in the law, it additionally encapsulates the “looking intently into” so that inner attitudes, motives, beliefs, feelings, emotions, ways of processing, perspectives, and etc. are also changed to conform to the Word; the Word that is “planted in you” (v.21) needs to sprout, grow, flourish, and dominate.
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SECTION POINT:  The Word of God requires permanent internalization.

“not forgetting what he has heard”:
“not forgetting” = Strong’s #1953 “of forgetfulness; negligence”
- - is the implanting and the establishing of the Word into one's life long-term;  (v.21)
- - is an immediate and particular establishing the Word in the person’s active thinking while simultaneously also establishing it in the person’s stored memory;
- - is the restructuring of one’s belief and value system to conform to the law;
- - involves subsequent reviewing and re-contemplating the stored Word later.

- - “Heard” implies intentionally going into environments where the Word is being spoken, read, taught, discussed, researched, and etc.
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SECTION POINT:  The Word of God requires persistent activation.

“continues to do this”:
“continues” = Strong’s #3887 “continuing; to stay near, i.e. remain (literally, tarry; or figuratively, be permanent, persevere)”; (NAS) - “abides by it"; (AMP)  - “is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it”
- - involves an ongoing “looking into the perfect law”;
- - implies hearing the Word once or briefly is not adequate enough to facilitate the law being implanted in one’s life;
- - therefore requires repeated or constant exposure, looking at it again and again, persistence in looking, a daily habit in one’s life;
- - is a practical approach to the Word of God, designed to be put into practice in order to effect and achieve ‘practical Christian living’ (the theme of the Book of James).
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SECTION POINT:  Properly implementing the Word of God in one's life is the path that leads to God-approved righteous living.

the “perfect law":
“perfect” = Strong’s #5046 “perfect; complete; completeness”
- - The goal for believers is to aspire to live the perfection of Christ - to “get rid of all of our moral filth and evil” (v.21) and to have righteous with holy thinking and actions all the time.  NOTE: Achieving absolute perfection in 100% of our daily living is not possible in this life because our sin nature has not been removed, but we are to strive to get as close as we can to perfect living (progressive sanctification) by daily moment-by-moment putting to death our sin nature and living by the Spirit.  (see Romans 8:12-14)

the perfect law “that gives freedom”:
- - The perfect law gives freedom from the bondage and enslavement of sin and to sin.  (cf. John 8:31-38)
- - Properly putting into practice the perfect law involves a rejecting and releasing from the tendency to conform legalistically, and instead promotes and empowers to amicably respond with love, i.e. not just outer conformity but inner transformation as well.  (cf. Romans 13:8-10)
- - Submitting our will to God is not to be regarded as restrictive, compulsory, or burdensome but instead is to be liberating, voluntary, and edifying.
- - Doing what the perfect law says clearly reduces guilt before God and replaces it with approval of God.
- - The law is no longer just the Old Testament Law that convicts and condemns us (see Romans 3:20) but now the law includes the results of Jesus’ perfect fulfillment of Old Testament Law (see Matthew 5:17), so that the 'law' in a sense has become the word of truth for salvation (James 1:18,21) through Jesus' perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of those who believe in Him (see Romans 3:20-26).
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SECTION POINT:  Properly implementing the Word of God in one's life activates God to bring blessings upon that person.

"doing it -he will be blessed in what he does”:
(NAS) - “effectual doer”
- - Blessings will come forth from and upon “an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing - in his life of obedience” to God’s Word (AMP); hearers-only do not receive blessings.  (cf. John 13:17)
- - If we apply the Word we hear and facilitate it in permeating into and impacting all the areas of our life, then, from that applying, the resulting blessings also will permeate and impact all those areas of our life as well.  (see Psalm 1:1-3, especially v.3)
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[Lesson Question:  What are some examples in James so far of blessings we will receive if we do what the Word says?]

Some examples in James so far of blessings we will receive if we do what the Word says:
- - We will have joy in the midst of trials.  (v.2)
- - We will get more wisdom from God.  (v.5)
- - We will experience character building.  (v.12)
- - We will receive future rewards.  (v.12)
- - We will improve our ability to resist temptations.  (v.22 with vv.13-15)
- - We will bring blessings to other persons being interacted with in life, including those that attempt to provoke us to anger.  (vv.19-21)
- - We will not be self-deceived.  (v.22)
- - We will gain freedom.  (v.25)
- - We will be able to utilize access to the perfection of God.  (v.25)
- - We will be practicing religion in a manner that God accepts.  (v.25; see vv.26-27)
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BIG IDEA:  Persistently studying God’s Word, internalizing it, and applying in your life will bring blessings.

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APPLICATIONS:

- - What priority does God’s Word have in your life?

- - What priority do you want God’s Word to have in your life?

- - Do you consistently devote the time and effort to study, digest, and apply God’s Word?  Why not?

- - What can you correct or remedy today that will more effectually implement priority of God’s Word in your life?
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Works Cited:
Bible. The Comparative Study Bible: A Parallel Bible Presenting New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Amplified 
     Bible, King James Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD‑ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary”. The Bible Library CD‑ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1992.
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File name: James1_25-SermonOrLesson.___ (.htm, .doc, .pdf)
Translation used: NIV, quoted or referred to in various places within the lesson
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Updated: July 13, 2016