Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to the general epistle of James. Reading for our text, verse 25. The words in the middle of the text are specifically upon my spirit, not a forgetful hearer. The whole verse reads, and we will preach from the whole verse, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

It may be that we often think, how many sermons have I heard? How many have I preached? How many words that we have felt to be very helpful? We've given assent to the truths that have been set forth. We've realized how applicable they have been to our life. But then we wonder, why hasn't it profited? And where we have been set precepts and things, a path of action, a course that we should walk in, we find that we are not walking in that way. We find that there needs to be more than the truth set forth.

It needs to be received and it needs to be applied It needs to be acted upon not by just our own will and willpower and the mind, that which is natural, but we have to receive it as the word that God has given, that he has promised to bless and promised to give grace to actually obey and to walk in.

With true religion, there is the active work of God, the Holy Ghost, in an assembly, upon the word, and in the hearts of the people. This is really emphasised with our Lord saying to the apostles, tarry in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. We should always bear this in mind and remember that however good the preaching might be, or suitable the word, or faithful the word, we must have our eyes upon the power of God that bring us salvation. We must have our minds set upon the Lord's work to appear. And while we have not that, while we perhaps are just as a preacher just thinking, well, I just want to be able to preach the truth, a nice word, or a hearer, we just want something that is interesting, or we want something that with our own works, our own will, we can fulfil it and think, well, we've done quite good, haven't we?

But to actually be dependent. utterly dependent, and feel that, upon the Holy Spirit to take that word and to apply it, and to cause us to walk in a right way, seeking that we might put into practice what we've heard, not by our self-will, but by the power of the Spirit of God.

We read Paul saying, concerning the Thessalonians, that they received the word not as it was the word of man, but as it is in truth the word of God. That is vital. But that wasn't the only thing. They received it also not just in word only, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power.

And that is what we need, not just at the point of hearing it, but as we go away then meditating upon it, chewing over the cart, searching the scriptures like the Bereans did, but above all seeking that the Lord would take that word and use it and bless it to us, so that we are not then forgetful hearers. It is in one sense that I was going to say we need to be forgetful. But we need fresh manner. If we were to hoard up every sermon and every text that we'd had, well, our minds would be so full.

And if we'd receive a fullness of blessing, then why would we come for more if we'd already got a store? But where we go from strength to strength, where we might have, as it were, a full cupboard of food at home. And we eat that up, and then we haven't got any. So we go to the shops, we buy some more. But if we always had a full cupboard, we'd never go to the shops. We'd never seek fresh provision.

And so in a spiritual way as well, like the children of Israel in the wilderness, they had to have fresh manna day by day. They could not hoard it up. They were to be dependent upon the Lord day by day. And that is what we need to be as well. Sometimes our heart fails us and we think, well, we failed today. It's going to be like that for tomorrow and the whole week. And we'll never, never benefit, never profit. But no, the Lord gives us strength equal to our day. And that then is sought for, it's asked for, it's looked for. is a mindfulness upon us that we need the Lord to come and to bless that word that we hear. And so this is what is upon my spirit this morning, not a forgetful hearer.

I want to divide the word up into three points. Firstly, the word we receive. In verse 21, we read, receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. And verse 25, our text, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein. That is the word that we received. I want to look at that.

Firstly. And then secondly, a doer of the work, not a forgetful hearer. He being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. And then lastly, a promised blessing. This man shall be blessed in his deed, or in his doing, as we have in the margin. So firstly, the word that we receive. Before receiving it, of course, it has to be spoken and it has to be set forth. Our Lord said to his disciples that who so receiveth you, receiveth me, he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.

Many of the words that our Lord Jesus Christ spoke in the hearing of the Jews, they were not received. It made the Jews angry when their Lord spoke, especially about those in Sidon, those that were Gentile nations, when he spoke of Naaman, the Syrian, being blessed, and yet those in Israel were not. And the widow of Zarephath being blessed, when there's many widows in Israel, they were not. The Jews were so angry. How could it be that Gentiles should be blessed and not them? What was this man thinking? They had the law. They had the covenants. They had the promises. Why were these others receiving it? And they couldn't receive that word.

There is a word then to be preached, and there is a word that we must be ready to receive. Now the word that is spoken of here, the real hint as to what is being pointed to, is its description in our text as being the perfect law of liberty. The perfect law of liberty, what can that be? It cannot be any other but the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He said to them in John 8, those that believed on his name, he said, if ye continue in my word, You shall be my disciples indeed. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

We think of the very vivid illustration with the children of Israel in Egypt. They were in bondage in Egypt. And God sent Moses and Aaron, and he said that he would give them liberty. And at first there was many great signs that were wrought in Egypt, but Pharaoh would not let the people go.

In fact, every sign that was wrought reinforced the truth that they were actually in bondage. They were captives there. At the start, they might have thought, well, we can just walk out of this country. But by the time one sign after another worked and Faro got harder and harder against them, it was very evident that they were captives. It's like one being under house arrest. And they think, well, we've got freedom. We can go from one room to another in our house.

For the moment they step out of that front door then the police appear and they realise that actually they are captives in that surrounding. By nature we are under the law, by nature we are in bondage to the law, we are captives, we are under the sentence of death, we are on death row as it were, but they don't realise that we are. And it's only when the work of God begins with a sinner that he finds out how difficult, impossible it is for him to break off his sins of his own, for him to even believe, to him to be loosed from all the superstitions, idolatry, iniquity, and sin that he is bound with, bound hand and foot with, grain clothes, death, bondage, under condemnation. But you know, when the Lord sent Moses, he was going to set them free.

And it all led up to the Passover. It all led up to the shedding of blood. It all led up to that ordinance that pointed out the Lamb of God and pointed to Calvary. Our Lord Jesus Christ, with desire, have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

And his sufferings were to pay the debt, to make an atonement, to set his people free in the same way that the children of Israel that very night of the Passover, when the angel, destroying angel, went over Egypt, And all the firstborn were slain except those that had the blood of the paschal lamb sprinkled on the doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they were. There was death in every house.

But in the believing Israelites, there was a substitute. And their trust was in that blood. Their obedience was to slay the lamb. to put the blood on the doorpost and lintel, to trust in that, to do as God had bidden them, to believe that they would be set free, to have their shoes on, to have their loins girded, to have their staff in their hand, be right ready to go free. They believed this was the way that they would be set free.

And so the law of liberty has spoken of here. The work that is to be remembered, the work that is to be done is a gospel work, is not the law, is not that which brings to bondage. Now the Apostle Paul, he speaks of this when he writes to the Galatians.

And he says to them, if we look at Galatians chapter 4, And he goes back to the types of Abraham's children. Abraham had two children. One was by the bondmaid, Hagar, that was Ishmael. And the other was by Sarah, freeborn, that was Isaac. And it was in Isaac, shall I seed be called? And so in Galatians chapter four and verse 21, he asked this, tell me, Ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise."

In other words, Sarah could not bear children, Hagar could, And Abraham put his hand to it, devised a way that this child would be born. But Sarah was barren. It needed a miracle. It needed that which was impossible by man. It needed God to give her conception and to give that child. And that child was a child of promise. God had promised that she should have a child, not that Hagar should have a child. And so Paul uses this.

He says that in verse 23, but he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory, a story, an illustration? For these are the two covenants. Yes, there are only two covenants, two testaments, Old Testament, New Covenant, New Testament, the covenant of works, or the covenant of grace. Those are the two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai, which engendereth to bondage, which is Agar, the law. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children. They couldn't receive the Lord Jesus. They couldn't receive the gospel. They heard it, but they didn't receive it.

But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all." And so he goes on further. You can read it at your leisure. But he then speaks of casting out the bondwoman and her son. For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. And in verse 1 of chapter 5, he applies this.

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. And this yoga bondage with those of the Galatians was that they were being taught that they had to be circumcised and keep the law to be saved. No, salvation is by grace alone, and no works, even works that are the fruit of salvation, they are not to be added as a condition of salvation. Even the fruits of obedience, they are not to be added as a condition for salvation. It is freely, by grace, given. And so it's Christ's finished work at Calvary. And it's this work that we are to receive.

Man does not like to receive free things. Sometimes we might think so, but I've had times where, in years gone by, we as a church, we've tried to help someone, or not this church, but over in Australia, and we, in a practical way, just freely giving monetary help, and they're offended at it. They're offended because They didn't want to receive charity work. They would rather do without than have someone help them freely. And we are like that. We are like that. We like to be able to earn, pay our way. We don't like to have handouts unless we're so completely feeling destitute we've got no other way, no other help, and then we'll receive it.

And this is what is needed for the Gospel. All the while we think that we can save ourselves, we've got strong willpower, we've got some righteousness of our own, we've got some ability of our own, then we're not ready to receive and obey the gospel. And so the word that we need to receive is not the law and a whole list of commandments, do this, do that, even the precepts of the gospel. But it is the Gospel itself, and what the Lord would set us to do, or to the precepts that are of the Gospel, that in themselves are not meritorious, but in the working of them there is a blessing in the end of it.

So our first point, the word we need to receive. Going back to our text, who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty? What a picture of the gospel. Why is it spoken of a law? Well, right through the Old Testament, in the Psalms especially, we have the gospel spoken of as a law. We think of where we read together in Psalm 19 and verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

These are those things that set forth not the law of Sinai, but the gospel, spoken of as a law, because it sets forth that way of salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed in himself at Calvary. And so, as in verse 21 in 1 James, that we are to receive with meekness The engrafted word which is able to save your souls, that's another. The law, the law of commandments contained in ordinances or Mount Sinai, that's not able to save our souls. Paul says in Romans 8 that what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

It's seeking those spiritual things. It's seeking the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's speaking life, seeking for life in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this is what we are to receive and by natural man he cannot receive it. He cannot receive that which is free all the time. He wants to add his works.

I always remember years ago speaking to a lady in this town, spending some three quarters of an hour trying to set before her this gospel, the free and sovereign grace of God and trust in the Lord. When I finished, she said, well, she said, I just tried to do the best I can. And it was just as if the word had gone straight over her head, as if she hadn't understood anything of what I've been saying. She went straight back to a reliance on her works and would not let go of that.

And that is where we are by nature, that we are to receive. the freeness of the gospel, and we are to be then a doer of the work. And I want to look at that in our second point. A doer of the work, not a forgetful hearer. Our Lord always taught in parables. Without a parable speaking not, unto them.

In Matthew 7, he had been speaking to them, teaching them, exhorting them to enter in at the straight gate. Wide is the gate, broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. Many there be which go in therean. Because straight is the gate, narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, few there be that find it." A way of the gospel, obedience to the gospel, obedience to the precepts of the gospel, the spirit of the gospel.

Then at the end of Matthew 7, Our Lord gives an illustration, and he says from verse 24, Who therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

We read that he taught them as one having authority, not as the scribes. But this was what the Lord set forth. In one way, you can picture the rock as the Lord Jesus Christ built our house upon Christ, upon the rock, not upon that which is a sandy foundation. Our works are but a sandy foundation. There's none that doeth good and sinneth not. Our whole building must be upon Christ's work and his work alone. So what is it then as a doer, a doer of that work?

I want to go back to Romans, to Romans 10, and that well-known chapter that speaks of the preaching of the gospel and how it is set forth. He begins, and Paul's desire in that chapter was that his own countrymen, Israel, might be saved. But he says in verse three, they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Well, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

So that is a first work. Instead of submitting ourselves unto Christ's righteousness, trusting in that, leaning in that, what all the time we're looking for is our own works, our good works, something that we have done. And really, in a way, a test is when we are mindful of our sins, what effect does it have? Does it make us want to be more and more diligent to try and make ourselves feel better and to do better? Or does it tend to bring us to Christ as a poor sinner like the publican God, be merciful to me a sinner. We read in 1 John chapter one, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is the Lord that cleanses, not ourselves. He cleanses our walk. It is not fatalistic, but He gives the power to do. Some of us have clearly known how we have struggled and struggled to do what is right. The fear of man has brought us snare. We couldn't work in that walk in the way we wanted to walk. And then the Lord came and blessed our soul, favoured our soul, gave us grace, took away the fear of man in an instance, and we did with ease, with no problems at all, what we'd laboured to do before. And we know the difference between receiving the power of God to be able to enable us to walk in His way is of great difference from legally self-willed effort to do it with our idea that we will make ourselves acceptable unto God.

Those that come to Christ come as poor, hell-deserving sinners. Sinners that have failed and failed and failed again. Sinners that, as the hymn writer says, nor can we promise future good to bring. Sinners that are convinced, if ever my poor soul be saved, it is Christ must be the way.

Well, Paul goes on in this chapter 10 and he speaks about those that preach the gospel, the need of the gospel. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they here without a preacher.

How shall they preach except they be sent, as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, bring glad tidings of good things. Another beautiful description of the gospel. The gospel of peace, glad tidings of good things.

That's not coming and saying, do this, do that, obey this. If you do, you'll be saved. If you don't, you'll be lost. And yet he goes on and says this in verse 16, that they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who have believed our report, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. When it comes to the end of that chapter, we read that Esaias is very bold and saith, I was found of them that sought me not. I was manifest unto them that asked not after me.

It is the Lord that brings salvation. Like Jonah in the world's belly, no help for him, no ability to deliver himself, but he cries unto the Lord in that low dungeon, that low place. May we be like that. That was a doer of the work, wasn't it? To seek to the Lord, the Republican who's a doer of the work, God be manifest and merciful to me, a sinner. But Jonah, he says, salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake to the fish and it vomited him out upon the dry land. What is this worth then? To not be trusting in ourselves, to be much in prayer, like the publican, crying unto the Lord, like the woman, Syrophoenician woman, Lord help me.

It is a work of faith that looks to Christ, that long line in Hebrews 11, that lived and died by faith. They trust in his blood, his righteousness, trust that he has put away our sins. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. That when the Lord declared it was finished, he had put away the sins of all his people From the beginning of the world to the end of the world, from the beginning of their lives to the end of their lives, before they were converted, after they were converted, all sin blotted out. And the sense of it, the blessing of it, to be received by poor sinners who look into that perfect law of liberty, And they see no man but Jesus only. They don't see the prophets. They don't see the law. They don't see Moses. They don't see Elias. They see the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ who testified, I am the way, the truth, and the life. They were also walking a path of a labor of love, the love the people of God. You'll be a sacrificial love, the same as they viewed their Lord. Even as Christ laid down his life for us, so ought we to lay down our lives for the brethren.

James goes on in chapter 2 and he speaks of the fruit of faith. He says in verse 14, What doth it profit my brethren? Though a man sayeth faith and hath not works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, destitute of daily food, one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. You can almost bring this to reflect the gospel as well. Our Lord looking upon us, looking upon poor sinners, destitute of food, of raiment, of righteousness and everything.

And does the Lord just do nothing? Does he not help? Does he not send help? Of course he does. If a man provide not for his own house, he is worse than an infidel. But God does provide for his house. He does provide for his people. He opened his hand. He satisfies the desire of every living thing.

Oh, that we had a clearer view of the gospel. We read in verse 23 of chapter one, if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, He is like unto a man beholding his natural face in the glass. He beholdeth himself, and goeth his way straightway, forgetteth what manner of man he was, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer. You know, this was the problem with the Galatians. They'd been preached that perfect law of liberty, but they weren't continuing.

And maybe with you and I. The Lord has truly converted us. He's made a difference in our lives. He's begun a work. But then, then we've gone backwards. We've gone back to the law. More sinners come in, and instead of looking to the gospel, the freeness of it, and the precious blood of Christ, to His mercy, we've been looking some other way. And we forgot what we saw in our Lord Jesus Christ. We forget what is set before us. Every time we sit at the Lord's table, it's Christ that died. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.

And so that pathway of obedience It's a path of obedience to the gospel, a doer of the work, acting as if we believed what the Lord Jesus Christ said, believed what he had accomplished at Calvary, believed what he'd have us to do, to work out what he works in, to give the fruits of love, and to walk in that way that recommends the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all that look upon us would look upon a person that is so dependent upon God's grace and mercy, that they see a people that are testifying like the hymn writer, if ever my poor soul be saved, it is Christ must be the way.

And they're looking there, and they're not forgetful hearers. They're hearing the gospel. They're hearing the word. You could apply this as well. Not a forgetful hearer, even when we hear the law. Because when we hear the law, we should hear it. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. No life there. No hope there. Not to look in that direction.

In Hebrews 12, you're not coming to the mount that might be touched. burn with fire, you come out to Mount Sion, unto that company of angels, that perfect people of people that have made themselves white in the blood of the Lamb. What a difference between law and gospel, and how we are to have the gospel set before us and to continue walking in it. And not forget it, how much ever waves of sin and temptation and evil come upon us, that those things are to more and more cause us to flee to our Lord, to plead that blood that did for sin atoned.

And so there is a doer in that sense. He be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This man shall be blessed in his deed. So I want to look lastly at that blessing, a promised blessing. This man shall be blessed in his deed. Let us just go back in our thoughts to the publican. We had a contrast with the Pharisee who prayed thus with himself, I thank thee that I'm not like other men, how that he tithed, how that he fast twice in the week, that he gave to the poor. And he only spoke of his works, he was looking to his good deeds. Whereas our Lord said to the publican who beat upon his breast, God be merciful to me a sinner, He went down to his house justified rather than the other.

In other words, in the words of our text, he was blessed in his deed. May we remember that. That man was blessed in his deed. What was it? In a path of prayer, looking for mercy, looking for grace, a justification free from condemnation. Paul says in Romans, therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. And what did he set forth in Romans 7?

When I would do good, evil is present with me. The good that I would, I do not. The evil that I would not, that I do. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? The gospel brings blessings. And this man is blessed that cleaves to it, that looks to it, that has no other plea but Christ.

May we know something of that blessing of the Lord that maketh rich, that takes the bondage off us, gives us liberty and joy, gives us assurance and peace in our souls, gives us a happiness arising from the work of God within. These are the blessings that Lord gives to his people, to know that blessed liberty of the Lord, to know that he is our God, to know that he shall bring us safely home to glory, all to his honour and all to his glory. This man shall be blessed in his deed. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein. He be not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This man shall be blessed in his deed. By the Lord and his blessing. Amen.