Being Born Again (James #4) - Bible Baptist Church

Being Born Again

Text: James 1:17-27

God is good and His words are good (vss 17-18)

His gifts come in the form of his words. To receive the gifts the words must be applied.
- The mouth of the righteous is a well of life (Proverbs 10:11)
- The lips of the righteous feed many (Proverbs 10:21)
His word converts souls – the law of the LORD converts the soul.
1 Peter 1:22-25 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: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
John 3 with Nicodemus.

Because God’s good gifts come through His words, people need to be ready to listen.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Proverbs 17:27-28 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. 28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Receive means to obey apparently. To do means to lay aside these carnal things.
This is what Paul described as the circumcision made without hands (Colossians 2:11) where the works of the flesh are made distinct from the the fruit of the Spirit.
Hebrews 4:12 says this as well. The word of God is like a sharp sword that distinguishes between carnal and spiritual thoughts and intents in your heart.
Self-decievers are found in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus warns of people who say, Yea but LORD, we did all this other stuff in your name.
The law of liberty is tied to the Spirit emanating from the LORD Jesus Christ. If the Son shall make you free you’ll be free indeed. Then, where the Spirit of the LORD is there is liberty.