Welcoming the Word (0512)

####Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: James 1:21-27

The Bible is full of great truth, but it doesn’t do you any good if you don't receive it in your heart first.

The Bible is not a textbook to memorize for a mid-term. It is the living, breathing Word of God, able to save and satisfy the desperate soul. If you want to be victorious in your Christian life, then you must welcome the perfect Word of God into your life. Receive it as you would receive a friend into your house.

First, welcome it with repentance. Sometimes God tries to tell us there's something wrong with us, but we can't hear Him because the very thing that's wrong with us is keeping us from hearing Him. We're not able to receive His Word until we remove what gets in the way.

Do you want to get something out of your Bible study? You must be willing to repent first.

Second, welcome it with readiness. Welcome it with a spirit that is ready to obey what it says.

The reason some of us don't get anything from the Bible is because we don't have a meek spirit. We have to be teachable, trainable and controllable so the Word we read can work in our lives.

Lastly, welcome it with responsiveness. We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Therefore, we must know the Word—peer into it, study it, gaze into it. We are to look into it intently, not just give it a casual glance.

Knowing Scripture is not a competition. The only question that matters in regards to your knowledge of the Word is: does it make you more like Jesus Christ?

Adrian Rogers says, “When you see what the Word of God tells you, when the Word of God reflects back that image that you see, then you're to go about putting your life in order. Don't forget what manner of man you were. You're to change your way of living and when you do that the Word of God will become a blessing.”

####Apply it to your life
Have you welcomed the Word of God into your life? Have you repented? Are you teachable, trainable and controllable? Does your knowledge of the Bible make you more like Jesus? Read the Bible today. Study it, and pray for guidance as you take what you’ve read and apply it to your life.