{"id":6489,"date":"2024-05-13T18:41:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T18:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=6489"},"modified":"2024-05-13T18:41:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T18:41:09","slug":"the-man-in-the-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-man-in-the-mirror\/","title":{"rendered":"The Man in the Mirror"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click HERE for sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n

But be\u00a0doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup>For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.<\/span>\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup>For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.<\/span>\u00a025\u00a0<\/sup>But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n

In the previous verses James was instructing us on how to hear the Word, and what it means to listen to the Word in the midst of trial. We are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Now, James tells us the other side of hearing. The other side of hearing is doing – or obeying the Word. The purpose of hearing is not just to hear, but it is to do. If we are hearers only and do not do, then we have not really heard. So James tells us that one of the ways we persevere in trials is to hear the Word and then do the Word. If we do not obey it, then we will not persevere and receive the crown of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, what is the phrase that James has used throughout this chapter to refer to his audience? \u201cBrothers,\u201d he addresses them, or \u201cbeloved brothers.\u201d The very fact of this title is connected to doing. A brother is one who hears the Word and does it. This is the wisdom and teaching of Jesus, from whom James learned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hear this passage in Luke 8:19-21, \u201cThen his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, \u2018Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.\u2019 But he answered them, \u2018My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.\u2019\u201d This teaching of Jesus is one of the driving forces of the letter of James. Jesus is saying that to truly be in the family of Christ is not about flesh and blood, but the true family of Christ, the true brothers, are those who hear the word of God and do it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So when James addresses the beloved brothers and calls upon them to not only be hearers of the word, but to also be doers of the word, he is calling upon them to be who they are. Brothers of Christ obey Him. Be who you are. Obey the Word.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hearing is for Doing<\/b><\/p>\n

So James tells us that we are to be quick to hear the word, and the purpose of hearing the word is to do the word. Hearing is for doing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, we are greatly blessed to have so much access to the Word of God, to have so many resources that help us learn and study the Word of God. We have so much access to hear great preaching all day everyday if we want. There are endless books at our fingertips that teach us good sound doctrine of the Word. Our problem is not a lack of knowing. Our problem is not a lack of resources and knowledge and good teaching. Our problem is a lack of doing. Many of you struggle with certain things in your life not because you do not know and have not heard, but because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about counting it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, yet you have no joy, because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about loving and forgiving one another, yet there is strife, because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about loving your wife like Christ loved the Church and submitting to your husband with honor and respect, but you have discord because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about prayer and casting your cares upon the Lord, yet you\u2019re racked with worry because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about lust, but you are ensnared because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about being slow to anger, yet you are full of rage because you do not do. You know what the Bible says about obeying your parents in the Lord, but you are always in trouble, because you do not do. And so often, instead of just repenting of our sin, confessing it, and putting the Word into practice, we are slow to recognize that we are the problem, and so we look around at others and what they are doing or not doing and it leads to the anger of man which does not produce the righteousness of God, does not make things right. James is showing us that our first and primary concern must be ourselves, and being sure that we ourselves are not hearers only, but doers of the word. And if we would be ruthlessly committed to that so many of our problems of frustration and anger would be resolved. Are you one who hears the word in one ear and out the other? Are you one who hears the word and thinks about all the ways that it applies to everyone else in your life but yourself? Or are you quick to hear the word, ready to chew on it and apply it to your life and put it into practice? Being ready to hear the Word means being ready, eager, and willing to apply the word and do it. If you are slow or reluctant or ready with excuses in applying the word, then you are not really quick and ready to hear the word. Hearing is for doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Danger of Hearing the Word<\/b><\/p>\n

There is a great danger in hearing the word. It is a dangerous thing to hear the word as much as we do. The danger is not so much in hearing things that will shock us or offend us or in hearing things that are not politically correct. The danger is that we will hear so much of the word, and then not do it. The dangerous thing is that we will hear the word and not do it and become slowly but surely hardened to the word till we finally cannot hear it anymore. The Bible teaches that he who is entrusted and found faithful with a little will be entrusted with much. But he who does not do faithfully with the little he is given, then the little he has will be taken from him. And that is the danger that we will hear good doctrine and hear the word rightly divided and hear Christ lifted up, and then turn around and not obey it! And then because we do not do, our consciences grow dull, they are not easily pricked, they grow less tender to the word of God and our own sin, and then before we realize what happened we are like hardened concrete in our sin, and we don\u2019t even know it because we have deceived ourselves, by hearing all the right things, but we didn\u2019t do them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Danger of Self-Deception<\/b><\/p>\n

This is what James is teaching, that by hearing the word and not doing it, we are deceiving ourselves! \u201cBut be doers of the word, and not hearers only, DECEIVING YOURSELVES.\u201d Puffing yourself up with many great sermons, much reading, and lot\u2019s of hearing, and yet not doing, is the ultimate self-deception. And the dangerous thing about self-deception is that the very definition of being deceived is that you don\u2019t realize it is happening! That is a dangerous thing. That is why our attitude in hearing the word of God is that we must be quick to hear and slow to speak, and be ready to apply it and obey it in our own lives. Every time of hearing the word, must include the listening for what the word is calling you to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Man in the Mirror<\/b><\/p>\n

James gives us an illustration of the foolishness of being a hearer only of the word. He says, \u201cFor if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.\u201d The idea of this is complete foolishness. How could someone look intently at their face in a mirror and walk away and at once forget what he looked like? They clearly weren\u2019t paying attention. This is the foolishness of hearing the word but not doing it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus taught this very thing in another place. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus says this, \u201cEveryone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mind and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So often when we talk of this mini parable of Jesus we talk of the importance of building our life on the rock, on the word of God, on Christ, and that is good and true. But we often miss the very thing that Jesus is comparing this illustration to. He says the one who hears these words and DOES THEM is like a man who built his house on a rock. And the one who hears these words and does not do them is like a man who built his house on the sand. What is the point of what Jesus is teaching here? He is showing us the foolishness of hearing the word and not doing it! Everyone recognizes the foolishness of building one\u2019s house on the sand. It\u2019s not going to stand up to the test. It\u2019s going to fall in the time of testing. And Jesus says that that is how foolish it is to hear the word and then not do it! Such a one will not stand the time of testing when it comes. The trials of various kinds will sweep them away. But the one who does is one who perseveres and stands the test because he puts into practice these words.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the one who is a hearer only is like a man who looks into a mirror and at once forgets what he has seen. But then James says, \u201cBut the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.\u201d So I believe we have a contrast and parallel here. There is a contrast between the one who does not and the one who does. And there is a parallel between the mirror and the perfect law, the law of liberty.<\/span><\/p>\n

The perfect law, the law of liberty I would take to be the whole word of God, as the context of James would point us to compare it to these other terms he has used such as the word of truth which brought us forth in verse 18, and the implanted word, which we are to receive with meekness in verse 21. If the implanted word of truth is what we are to be quick to hear and ready to receive then this is the perfect law, the law of liberty which we look into and then act upon in obedience, as James tells us to hear and then do. Calvin would add that the perfect law, the law of liberty, is not only the whole word of God, but it is the law written on the heart in the New Covenant as promised in places like Jeremiah 31. This is seen in the wording of the \u201cperfect law,\u201d which the context of James shows us could be taken as \u201cmaturity,\u201d or \u201cmature law.\u201d So it is the maturity of the new covenant to have this law of liberty not written in stone, but on hearts, because we have liberty in Christ Jesus to obey and do the word which is received.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the word of God is like a mirror in which we look intently and in it we see ourselves for what we are, sinners in need of Christ, and saved in order to do good works, and we see what we are to do and be, and we are to then walk in that.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also interesting that when verse 23 says a man looks and sees his \u201cnatural\u201d face, the greek word for \u201cnatural\u201d is one which implies a \u201cgenesis\u201d or a \u201cbeginning\u201d or \u201cimmature,\u201d face we could say. And then contrast that with the \u201cperfect\u201d or \u201cmature\u201d law that we look into. So we could say that a man looks into the mirror of God\u2019s word, sees his \u201cbeginning\u201d or \u201cimmature\u201d face, then the \u201cperfect\u201d or \u201cmature\u201d law – so he sees what is and then he sees the telos, the aim, or the goal of what he should be and where he is going. And the foolish man does not do it or go there or persevere toward that goal, but the one who not only hears, but does, goes toward that end of being mature and complete, lacking nothing. How foolish it is to see the maturity toward which we are to aim and then to turn around and not strive for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remembering<\/b><\/p>\n

Last week I mentioned that James starts verse 19 saying \u201cKnow this, my beloved brothers\u2026\u201d This is something he wants us to know, and part of knowing is remembering – not just hearing in one ear and out the other. To know is to remember, and this is exactly what we see developed in these verses today. A hearer only is one who looks in a mirror and immediately forgets. But the blessed man, BEING NO HEARER WHO FORGETS but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. Forgetting is contrasted with acting. Show me you know, by doing, James says. Forgetfulness here is not an accident, it\u2019s not an excuse, but it is a condemnation, because with hearing the word, comes the responsibility of doing the word. Hearing the word does not come without responsibility. \u201cI forgot\u201d is no excuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boys and girls, have you ever said that to your parents before? Maybe they told you to clean your room and they come back later and the room hasn\u2019t been cleaned, and you say, \u201cI forgot!\u201d Well you forgot, because you didn\u2019t turn around and do it. You went off and did something else. That\u2019s a bit what it\u2019s like when we say we forgot. We forgot because we didn\u2019t turn around and do it. We were not eager and ready to hear and do, we had other things on our mind and in our desires to do. To be ready to hear is to be ready to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blessed in Doing<\/b><\/p>\n

So here again we meet the blessed man. The one who is ready to act and so does, he will be blessed in his doing, James says. There is joy and happiness in obeying the word of God. True blessedness and joy is not from just sitting and intaking great teaching and doctrine but doing something different; true joy and blessing is hearing that implanted word of truth, and doing it. The blessed man of Psalm 1 is not a hearer only, but he is one who puts into practice the law of the LORD which he delights in and meditates on. He puts it into practice but not walking in the counsel of the wicked or standing in the way of sinners or sitting in the seat of scoffers. He is a firmly planted tree who prospers in all that HE DOES.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Danger of Introspection<\/b><\/p>\n

Now in all this, one of the pitfalls that we want to avoid is the danger of too much introspection. It is possible to spend so much time in self-examination that we drive ourselves mad and destroy our confidence in the Lord because we can look at every little area and corner of our lives and we can find sin everywhere. Even in our good deeds we can find that our motivations may not have been pure, or there was doubt in this, or selfishness in that, or carelessness here, or vanity there. And if we want to find sin in our lives, we can be sure that we will find it. Self-examination is good, but there is a point in which we can become indulgent and sinful in our examination of sin. In fact, James doesn\u2019t tell us to spend too much time on that. James doesn\u2019t tell us to spend all your time examining if you are doing. His instruction is that we do. So we don\u2019t want to fall into the extreme of doing so much examining that we end up failing to do. If we are busy doing, we won\u2019t have time for the extremes that we want to avoid.<\/span><\/p>\n

One commentator puts it this way, \u201cWe must, however, not dwell too long on the dangers of self-deception, and we should note that the antidote for its danger is not morbid self-inspection, not a turning inward to discover evidence of a changed heart, but rather, simply hearing the word of God and doing it.\u201d This is a good word that James gives us – if we want to avoid the danger of being deceived, the antidote is simply to hear and do the word of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christ<\/b><\/p>\n

In all of this, James is showing us that implanted word that is able to save your souls. He is sketching out for us that perfect man, that blessed man. Because we read this beautiful and wonderful word of God, and we receive it with meekness, and we know that in one sense, as Christians this is us, but in other sense, we know this isn\u2019t us, we don\u2019t perfectly walk these things out, we know we have much to mature and grow in, we have a lot for which we must strive toward. But James is not just drawing out for us a hypothetical image of a man that we want to strive to be like. He is showing us that very real blessed man, the Lord Jesus. He is giving us this image of the Lord Jesus, which we are being built up into by the Spirit of God. Remember verse 18, of God\u2019s own will \u201che brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.\u201d And in the image of this blessed man, we are being brought forth up into by the word of truth. We are being conformed into the image of God\u2019s Son, into the image of Christ, by the Word, as we persevere through trials of various kinds. This is what God is doing in us, and one of the ways He brings us about in this is by just simply instructing us and telling us, \u201cdon\u2019t be a hearer only, but be a doer. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to become angry, etc.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By way of illustration, there are a number of Major League Baseball players who are now in the Big Leagues, whose fathers also played Major League Baseball before them. And for some of them, their swing, or their mannerisms, or the way they throw looks just like their dad. Now, how did they get to that point? Well they were born of their Father, they spent years watching their father, and as they got older, their dad gave them instructions – \u201cstand like this, hold the bat like this, throw it like this, etc.\u201d And after all these years they have been conformed into the image of their dad on the ballfield. In similar manner, James is sketching the image of Christ we are being conformed into it, because we have been born or brought forth by God, we are to hear the word, which includes intently looking at the face of Christ, setting our eyes on Him, and we also are given these basic instructions that we are to put into practice, \u201chear the word, do the word, don\u2019t deceive yourself, persevere, count it all joy, show no partiality, remain steadfast, etc.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So in faith we look at this blessed man, the doer who is blessed, and we see the Lord Jesus in whose image we are being conformed. We see Him, the one who came to do the works that Father gave Him to do, and He did them, perfectly, without sin! Christ was not a hearer only, but one who did the Word. John 4:34, \u201cMy food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.\u201d John 5:19, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.\u201d John 5:30, \u201cI can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.\u201d John 6:38, \u201cFor I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.\u201d John 8:28-29, \u201cWhen you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.\u201d We could go on and on, but you get the point. Jesus is the one blessed in His doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

And I can\u2019t help but think of this passage in James, with relation to Jesus as He was born in human flesh, and the Bible says as a young boy that He grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and men. So think of Jesus, a young boy, growing in wisdom and stature, He is studying the Scriptures, looking intently into the mirror of the word of God, and He is seeing His face as in a mirror and He sees and knows that He is the Son of God, that these Scripture are about Him. And these Scriptures contained the will of God, the work of the Messiah, which He was to do, and He did not walk away from it, forgetting what He saw, being a hearer only, but He did the will of God, and blessed above all was He in His doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus did not walk away and forget to do the work of our redemption. He did not walk away and forget to fulfill all righteousness. He was a doer who acted, that we may be His brothers who do the will of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what is it in your life that you need to do? Where are you not obeying God? A marriage fight? Dropping the ball in family worship? Indulged lust? Hatred of your brother? Obeying your parents? I hope you are chomping at the bit to go and make it right. Repent, confess, put it into practice. Not later this week. Not sometime in the future. Today. Right away. As Jesus says to His people, \u201cYour sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click HERE for sermon audio But be\u00a0doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.\u00a023\u00a0For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.\u00a024\u00a0For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":6490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1582],"tags":[33,2005,274,2001,2003,557,2002,645,672,678,679,699,765,786,2000,877,2004,1114,1235,1348,1361],"class_list":{"0":"post-6489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sermon","8":"tag-33","9":"tag-22-25","10":"tag-christ","11":"tag-doers","12":"tag-doing","13":"tag-god","14":"tag-hearing","15":"tag-in","16":"tag-james","17":"tag-jenkins","18":"tag-jesus","19":"tag-joshua","20":"tag-lord","21":"tag-man","22":"tag-mirror","23":"tag-obedience","24":"tag-obeying","25":"tag-sermon","26":"tag-the","27":"tag-will","28":"tag-word","29":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-man-in-the-mirror-asher-godson-king.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1703,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/faith-without-works-is-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":0},"title":"Faith Without Works is Dead","author":"Joshua Mills","date":"May 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The book of James illustrates how a Christian ought to live their life in the light of Gods inspired Word (the Scriptures), i.e., we are to be a doer of the Word of God (James 1:22), not just a hearer. This book shows us that as born again believers, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gospel"","block_context":{"text":"Gospel","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/gospel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/05\/carpentry-section-picture.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1107,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/reasons-for-not-evaluating-a-sermon\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":1},"title":"Reasons for Not Evaluating a Sermon","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Preaching is serious business. So is listening to a sermon. For those of us who take preaching seriously as it should be taken, there is sometimes the desire to evaluate the sermon. Sermon evaluation is not necessarily a bad thing. There are indeed good reasons and ways to do so.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/faith\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5948,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/covenant-ratification\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":2},"title":"Covenant Ratification","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Then he said to Moses, \u201cCome up to the\u00a0Lord, you and Aaron,\u00a0Nadab, and Abihu, and\u00a0seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.\u00a02\u00a0Moses\u00a0alone shall come near to the\u00a0Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6679,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/catechism-on-the-book-of-james\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":3},"title":"Catechism on the Book of James","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote this catechism on James as I recently worked my way preaching through it. It is not a theological or systematic catechism. It is simply a catechism on the book of James, using mostly the language of James himself, to help one remember the contents of the book. Chapter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "theology"","block_context":{"text":"theology","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/theology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/08\/300px-Saint_James_the_Just.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2420,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/simple-preaching-like-c-h-spurgeon\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":4},"title":"Simple Preaching like C.H. Spurgeon","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"July 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I have learned so much about preaching from reading Charles Spurgeon. Whether it is reading what he says about preaching, or watching his example of preaching by reading his sermons, it is evident that his nickname, the \"Prince of Preachers\" is fitting. I was struck again by his example as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "theology"","block_context":{"text":"theology","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/theology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2017\/07\/70948.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3518,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-life-and-ministry-of-dr-martyn-lloyd-jones-lessons-for-the-christian-minister\/","url_meta":{"origin":6489,"position":5},"title":"The Life and Ministry of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Lessons for the Christian Minister","author":"Joshua Mills","date":"April 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"INTRODUCTION The greatest need for the church today is to have faithful men who will proclaim the whole counsel of God. Instead of feeding the sheep, preachers today have simply sought to entertain them. The aim of this paper is to look at the life and preaching ministry of David\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/04\/640x480.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/04\/640x480.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/04\/640x480.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}