Overview
Rev. Don Smith examines “The Perfect Law of Liberty: Hear and Do” through James 1, Ezekiel 33, John 4, John 8, showing how word, hear, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding The Perfect Law of Liberty: Hear and Do
Alright, well God bless you tonight in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ and for your spiritual consideration, we would like to look at the subject tonight, perfect law of liberty here and do. Perfect law of liberty here and do. Please take your Bible and go to James chapter 1. Many years ago, going to college for the first time and being around these various professors, I learned real quick that many of the professors that I had, they often graded differently from each other.
And I can remember walking into one class and the professor said on the first day, you all have an A. That’s what you’re going to start with, an A plus. He says, but it is up to you if you keep it throughout the rest of the semester. Now in hindsight, as I reflect on that statement, it reminded me of the accomplished works of Jesus Christ.
For Jesus Christ declared from the cross just before he died, it is finished. And then the Apostle Paul years later wrote, regarding this man Christ Jesus, and ye are complete in him. So in God’s classroom, as God’s children, we are in the top of the class.
We have the A plus, if you please, in the classroom of God. And my fight in life is not to get the victory, but to keep the victory that has been won by Christ Jesus. I’m going to say that again.
My fight in life is not to get the victory, but to keep the victory that has been won for us by Christ Jesus. And you may ask, why do we need to keep the victory? It’s because we have an adversary who comes to steal, who comes to kill, and who comes to destroy. He comes to steal our victory.
He comes to steal from us the accomplished works of Jesus Christ. I don’t have to fight to get it. The victory has already been won in Christ Jesus.
So here in James chapter 1, we’re going to see tonight how we can continue to be at the top of the class, how we can continue to keep this victory that has already been won for us in Christ Jesus. So here in James chapter 1, we’ll start in verse 21. And it says, wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity, which is excess, excess of naughtiness and receive with, the word with can be better translated in and receive in meekness, the engrafted word.
The Biblical Foundation
And then it tells us what this engrafted word of God can do for us, which is able or has the capacity to save your souls. Verse 22, first word is but, but is better translated than, T-H-E-N, after you have received this engrafted word, which is able to save your souls, then be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. See when we don’t do the word, other people may eventually get deceived, but the first person who gets deceived is that individual who doesn’t do the word.
If we are hearers only, we will deceive ourselves. And when we are deceived, what happens is we reach false conclusions about ourselves, about other people, as well as whatever situation we are facing. We will receive or we will reach false conclusions.
In verse 23, for if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man, beholden his natural face in a glass, better translated, a mirror. For he beholdeth himself and goeth away, goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. And here’s the great key tonight.
Verse 25, But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. The key here is the phrase, the law of liberty. And what is the law of liberty? If we’ve been paying attention to the context, the context will tell us.
The law of liberty is to hear the word and do the word. It’s hear and do. That is the perfect law of liberty.
As we hear this word, and we do this word, then we are able to maintain and benefit from the accomplished works of Jesus Christ. Say that again. As we hear the word and do the word, we are able to maintain and benefit from the accomplished works of Jesus Christ.
Now when we go to the Old Testament, which is written for our learning, we see record after record of the children of Israel not keeping and doing the word. We see them violating what is written here, a law of liberty, where they do not hear and they do not do what God says. And whenever Israel would not hear and do, it always led to bondage.
It ladies and gentlemen will have the same impact for us. When we hear but don’t do, or even sometimes refuse to just even hear the word, it is always going to lead to bondage in some category or another. Please take your Bibles and go to Ezekiel.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
Ezekiel chapter 33. You can turn to almost any record in the Old Testament and read about Israel and you will see how they did not keep and do what God told them to do so many times. God would often raise up a messenger, raise up a prophet to get his people back to him.
And many times they would return to God only to go back in some type of bondage again. And here we have a great record tonight here in Ezekiel chapter 33 and we’ll pick up the record here in verse 30. And it says also, Ezekiel 33 verse 30, also thou son of man, referring to Ezekiel, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another, everyone to his brother saying, come, I pray you and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord.
And they come unto thee, meaning unto Ezekiel, who was the prophet of God. They come unto thee as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words, but they will not what do them for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart go after their covetousness and lo thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come.
Then shall they know that a prophet have been among them. They refused to hear and to do what the man of God Ezekiel was teaching. They treated this prophet of God as if he was an entertainer.
Ladies and gentlemen, this word of God that we have in our midst is not a word of entertainment. This is the word of life and it should be treated and respected as such. And we show that we respect the word of God when we hear and do just to hear the word doesn’t mean a man or a woman respects the word and respects God.
But when we hear the word and do the word, we are demonstrating not only our respect for our Heavenly Father, but our love for him. And ladies and gentlemen, it took the coming of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to put this thing back straight. He put the walk with the Father in his right and proper perspective.
It was Jesus Christ more than any other man to ever walk the earth. It was him that was the perfect example of adhering to this law of liberty. Jesus Christ would hear the Father and then he would do what the Father said.
Faith in Action
Look at John, please. John, the Gospel of John chapter 4. This is the record of the woman at the well. And remember Jesus Christ sends the disciples away to get food and he witnesses to her and through that witnessing and speaking of the word, Jesus Christ is energized and he’s enthusiastic and he’s so enthusiastic that I think Jesus Christ may have lost his appetite if you read this record.
Look what he says here in John chapter 4 verse 34. Actually, it started in verse 33. It says, therefore said the disciples one to another have any man brought him ought to eat.
Jesus said unto them my meat is to what do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. Jesus Christ put the emphasis on the doing. Of course, he had to hear from the Father first in order to do his will and to finish his work.
He had to know what God’s work was, what God’s will was, and he knew that from reading the Scriptures. Well, how do you and I know what the will of God is? We read the word. We don’t just hear it.
We hear it to the end that we do it and we carry it out. John chapter 8, please. John chapter 8. Hear and do.
This is the perfect law of Liberty. This is what will keep us free. This is what will keep us ahead of the adversary.
This is what will help us to keep our joy and our abundance and all those other things that the Lord Jesus Christ has won for us. If we look, if we peer into the perfect law of Liberty and we hear and do this word. So here in John chapter 8, look at these remarkable words said by Jesus Christ.
Walking in Love and Confidence
John chapter 8 verse 28. Then said Jesus unto them, when ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am he and that I what do nothing of myself. But as my father have taught me, I speak these things and this remarkable verse 29 and he that sent me is with me the father have not left me alone for I do always those things that please him.
Jesus Christ had to first learn and hear what please God his father and once he heard it and he knew what please his God God his father. Then what did Jesus Christ do? He carried it out. He did exactly what God’s word said to do.
That is what you and I ladies and gentlemen need to do. This is the perfect law of Liberty. It is not just hearing the word.
Lots of people hear the word. We hear these teachings. We hear these live streaming.
We go to conferences and other things and we hear the word. But are we doing the word? We hear and do and it is the heart of God our father that once we hear it, we do it. What do I mean by that? The father does not intend to teach us his word and then expects that it would take us 5 to 10 years to carry out a principle of his word.
He intends for us to hear the word and do the word and unfortunately way too many of us think that in order to do the word. I have to understand every jot and every tittle that is not correct. Many times our understanding of that word will come as we are doing that word as we move with the things of God many times our understanding comes after the doing of the word.
So don’t let oh, I don’t understand everything so therefore I can’t do it. That is not the right mindset to have and I can give you a great example. How many of you understand every jot every detail about what it takes to walk? All the different muscles and the different things that have to fire and all the different neurons in your body that has to go to work for you to walk.
You don’t understand every detail about that. Do you but guess what you do? You still walk. How many of you understand every single detail about electricity? I know I don’t but I still utilize it.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
I still go to the wall and flip on and get light in my house. That’s what God wants. You see and as we close out tonight.
I want you to think about this at the return of Jesus Christ every born-again believer will stand before the Bama and the Bama is a place of rewards. It’s a place of rewards like in the Olympics when the person would win the sprinting contest. He stood up on the winner circle or whatever they want to call it and he would receive rewards.
Rewards are based on doing and actions. We go to the world and the word tells us about crowns that we will receive these crowns are rewards. But do you know not a single crown is given based on what I know.
All the crowns are given based on what I do. There’s the difference and ladies and gentlemen, I studied this out earlier today. Do you know there is no crown of knowledge? In other words, God doesn’t give you rewards based on all the knowledge of the word you think you know and you have all the rewards are based upon action all the rewards that we were seen were going to be based and rooted in this perfect law of liberty of hearing and doing.
So as we close tonight God gives us knowledge. He gives us knowledge of him by way of his word. God is not against knowledge.
Neither am I. But the knowledge of God’s word is to facilitate you doing the word. Did you catch that? The knowledge of God’s word is to facilitate me doing and taking action on his word now based on the works of our wonderful brother our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ you and I are at the top of the class based on his accomplished works. We are a plus in the classroom of God.
So let’s keep our a plus by always looking into the perfect law of liberty by always hearing the word and doing the word God bless.
Key Takeaways
- So let’s keep our a plus by always looking into the perfect law of liberty by always hearing the word and doing the word God bless.
- But when we hear the word and do the word, we are demonstrating not only our respect for our Heavenly Father, but our love for him.
- If we look, if we peer into the perfect law of Liberty and we hear and do this word.
- The law of liberty is to hear the word and do the word.
- As we hear this word, and we do this word, then we are able to maintain and benefit from the accomplished works of Jesus Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “The Perfect Law of Liberty: Hear and Do”?
Rev. Don Smith examines “The Perfect Law of Liberty: Hear and Do” through James 1, Ezekiel 33, John 4, John 8, showing how word, hear, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from James 1, Ezekiel 33, John 4, John 8.
How can believers apply this teaching?
But when we hear the word and do the word, we are demonstrating not only our respect for our Heavenly Father, but our love for him.
Scripture References
James 1; Ezekiel 33; John 4; John 8
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
