God’s Word as a Mirror

Do you remember the Scripture you read this into Adrian Rogers about when you look into the word of God. Don't just forget what you see when you read the Bible.

The Bible reads you and make a habit of writing down what things you need to correct and incorrect those things as you read the word of God and the word of God will burst the flame in your heart and your life to love and find between dynamic teaching lessons from beloved past Bible teacher Adrian Rogers Bible is such a rich tapestry, God's grace and mercy, and there are many emblems and symbols used for the word of God. The book of James identifies God's word is a mirror.

There are some who casually scan the Bible but God doesn't reveal much truth to the people who just glanced at his word. On the contrary, we need to absorb the word of God look into it as a mirror that reveals who we truly are. If you have your Bible turn now to James chapter 1 will begin in verse 22. As Adrian Rogers explains more about God's word is a mirror.

James chapter 1 and verse 22. Here is a command we were and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. But if any man be a hearer of the word and not a door, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass that is ace is like a man looking at his physical features in a mirror. For he beholds himself and his way and straight way forget what manner of man he was one who so look up into the perfect law of liberty by sister synonym for the word of God, the perfect law of liberty men met a beautiful phrase. The law of liberty, and continuing. He being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work.

This man shall be blessed in his deed. Now the Bible is so marvelous and so rich and has so much variegated splendor and all that it says and does. And is that the many emblems many symbols for the word of God. Jeremiah said the word of God is like a hammer.

David said the word of God is like a lamb. Moses said the word of God is like bread, the right of the book of Hebrews said the word of God is like a sharp sword. Jesus said the word of God is like a seed. James says that the word of God is like a mirror. I want us to think of two passages tonight that speak of the word of God as a mirror, and then I want us to see what kind of application we can get from that first of all, in the word of God because it's a mirror I see myself reflected. You see, not only do I read this book. This will reads me. This book has a picture of me if I want to see me. I just simply look into the word of God.

I heard of one man who said I don't why it is I can't get a better picture of myself a been many photographers. Somebody said what you want to know why just go look in the mirror now mirror doesn't lie.

Mirror is very little. The photographer sometimes lie because they know how to use the lighting effects in the shadows and all of that and they have a motto when there's beauty would take it where there is none.

We make the mirror mirror doesn't do that. Mirrors are very brutal. I heard of a man oh felon who would live so far back out in the woods. He never ever even seen a male and he finally found one. It was a grown man and he looked at me said well Lori me there's a picture of my will. Tapping and he was so proud of it. He took it up and put it in the attic. His wife saw him up in the attic and she being quite nosy when up afterward and she found it and looked at it and she said so.

So that's the old hag he's been running around with mirrors, no lie. James has in his mind to imaginary people to people who have a mirror and they hold up, and they look at one man takes what I'm going to call a casual glance. The other man takes a concentrated gaze. I look at the man who takes a casual glance here if you will look in verse 23 if any man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass. Now this word beholding has the idea of a person who is just simply glancing into the word of God. He gets up in the morning. He's in a hurry.

He just runs past the mirror and they saw and he's really forgotten what he saw.

I we we do that a lot. Have you ever looked at your watch, casually and then immediately forgot what time it was will do that.

We were just kind of the glance of the word of God. I believe that a lot of what people call morning devotions is that, glance we open the book we glance at it. We sat on my duty does a day keeps the devil away and then we are where all our way, but we have not really little and to the word of God we take only a snatch will in the book. Now we don't calls while the reasons we don't cause many times as we don't really want to see where like a man just kind of bouncing around from place to place rather than being like a bee pauses at a flower and just extracts that honey and draws out that Megan now God doesn't reveal much truth to the people who do that just glanced they just bounce in and out of the word of God. Many times if you ask a so-called reader of the Bible. One book of the Bible.

He read out and he couldn't tell you to save his life just sorted out as a lucky dip you're asking what it says 10 minutes after ready couldn't tell you if you if you are asking what it meant to him if he rawness he would say very little if anything, that's just sort of a casual glance, but then there's another man that looks into the word of God and this is the person with the careful gaze that look again and he uses a different description here. He speaks of a person here in verse 25 but so look at them to the perfect law of liberty, and continue with their in he being not a forgetful hearer, but a durable work.

This man should be blessed in his deed. Now here this word look up into the perfect law of liberty, word look is a very interesting word. It means literally to peer into something to look to scrutinize the look intently now if you were the first one at the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Had you been in the stone and rolled away and you had a chance to look inside.

Would you look casually, no, I mean, your eyes would be big as saucers. If you had a chance to look into that tomb and you would want for every detail that's exactly what happened. The Bible describes them in John 20 verse five and he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying and yet he went not in doubt. The Bible has the idea watch this he, stooping down, he looks into that tomb. He is hearing into the darkness. He is concentrating on what ever is there are is not there.

Now that's a word that is used here, which means and the person who has that careful gaze again. It's mentioned in and out first Peter chapter 1 I think about verse 12 where it speaks of the prophecies and things that the angels could understand and that is says there were things that the Angels desired to look into. I mean the Angels really wanted to know about our salvation that was prophesied in the Old Testament, and so they pondered. They looked into the word of God. I want to submit to you that we need to do more than just take a little spiritual sandwiches. I wore a God we need to sit down and absorb the word of God and look into the word of God because it is the word of God that is a mirror that reveals us now. I'm sure that all of us looked into a literal mirror today, but if you looked into a mirror and you saw something on your face.

A smudge of dirt smeared mascara, lipstick, disheveled hair, what would you do well hopefully if you looked into the mirror you want to see what they were right or wrong.

If you were wrong you want to put what was wrong.

Right now, when you look into the word of God. Don't just forget what you see when you read the Bible.

The Bible reads you and make a habit of writing down what things you need to correct and incorrect those things as you read the word of God and the word of God will burst the flame in your heart and your life. For example, you looking to marry a sinner to face you say will I need to cleanse that fate. Psalm 119 verse nine. Where was also young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto by word when the word condemns you when the word reveals that filth.

Whatever it is, take heed to.

Don't just read it and forget if you do your deceiving yourselves and myself to see person is really the sinking. Now let's go back to Psalm 119 verse nine. Just don't turn to listen to what was also young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

The word away their means actually are right you know sin has a way of putting a mighty run in our lives it it it.

Sin has a way of putting out a groove in your character, and many of us have lives in a like 9 miles of bad road where was also a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Jesus said in John 15 verse three your clean through the word which I have spoken unto you in the word claim is what we get our catharsis from the word of God done, just cleanse us outwardly and gives us a catharsis as it flows through us is the cleansing tides of Calvary and the breezes of the Holy Spirit blow through our lives so when I look into the perfect law of liberty. First of all, I see myself reflected by don't take a casual glance, but if I take a careful gaze. I'm going to see Adrian and that I meant to do something about. Keep that in your mind that I want to turn to.

No passage. I want to turn to second Corinthians, this time chapter 3 and verse 18. I hear again, God is speaking of the Bible as a mirror this time it is not James but it is called speaking with both of them inspired by the same Holy Spirit. Paul says but we all, with open face.

That is no veil over her face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord when he says here, as in a glass he means it, as in a mirror limitary what God's purpose is for you in the word of God number one to show you what you are by nature and then number two to show you what you ought to be by grace, less what the Bible is for the Bible is to show you what you are, but also what you could be God's purpose in the word of God is to make you like the Lord Jesus Christ. God is so pleased with his son the Lord Jesus. He wants an entire race of people just like and so what God is up to by the gospel of grace is making people in the image of God which image was marred when Adam sinned in the garden being the Bible says those whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate to be conformed to the image and so we are destined to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now God then just wait till the rapture to start making you like the Lord Jesus Christ. God was to make you like the Lord Jesus Christ today. He wants you to go from glory to glory, the stages of glory when you first get saved as glorious but then when you are in the ministry of the Holy Spirit as more glorious when you learn better to sell. That is more glorious. And God wants to lead you from glory to glory. That's what he says here in this verse but we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory. Now you say will wait a minute. When I look in the Bible of the Bible is a mirror. Could I see in that mirrored I see me your Jesus. When you see both using both you see when you got saved you are a part of Jesus and if you look in the Bible. Not only will you see what you are by nature which will also see what you are by grace you look: the mirror is not me that's Jesus and he says that's right that's right. Are you crucified with Christ is risen with Christ.

Christ is in you and you are in Christ.

That's the reason why we call Christian to Christian is somebody like Jesus and really you want to look in that mirror and you want to see the image of Jesus reflected on the other side.

Now when you see yourself that leads to confession and cleansing, but when you see Jesus Christ at least a consecration and it leads to sanctification. We become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ would go from one level to another. You see, the Bible mirrors Jesus, if you read the Bible and you will see Jesus you better reread the Bible because he is there. Acts chapter 10 verse 43.

The Bible says to him give all the prophets with that is all the Old Testament prophets wrote about Jesus. Don't get the idea that the New Testament takes up and starts with Jesus in the Old Testament was about Moses or law on the history of the Hebrews. All day him to Jesus.

Give all the prophets witness Jesus said, concerning the Old Testament you search the Scriptures.

These are they which testify of me and Lou the 24th chapter, the Bible says on the road to Emmaus when he walked with those two disciples after his resurrection is, as he showed them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, boy. You know I believe that it's not the Lord's will, we had have a tape recording of that we have it but I sure would like one would you like to hear the Lord Jesus expound the Scriptures beginning of Moses and the prophets and showing us all the things in the Old Testament concerning himself. When you talk about Bible conference. I would love to been on that road that day, as the Lord Jesus revealed in all the Scriptures another say he revealed in the Scriptures, all the things concerning himself is says he revealed in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself, that is. He's in all the Scriptures now decedent. This book is a mirror and when you look into that mirror, you see, Jesus Christ reflected well know what happens. Is this as you keep looking into this book, you become like what you look at look at again.

This verse but we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord our chain BC were change the word change. There is the same word that is translated in Matthew chapter 17 verse two is transfigured. When Jesus was taken up on the Mount of Transfiguration, what mattered was something that was Mount Herman, but an exceedingly great high mountain when he was up there. The Bible says he was transfigured, that's exactly the same word this year.

Second rent is three verse 18 we are transfigured by reading the Bible. What is a Transfiguration what were transfigured and this word is a word we get our word metamorphosis from and what a metamorphosis is that's what happens when that ugly caterpillar goes in the cocoon and then comes out glorious butterfly it goes through a mat. Offices are a change of form. I am metamorphosis is not an outward change is a change that begins on the inside the inner nature. Jesus was glory and is glory, and so that that inner nature. Jesus had been veiled by/but in this in this metamorphosis and this Transfiguration that inner glory just came to the surface and that's what this all the Mount of Transfiguration, now the same word is used here is says we are change from glory to glory.

We also are transfigured. We also want to go through metamorphosis.

That is, as I looked into the word of God and begin to obey the word of God. I change the guest take place in me. What is the inner nature of Christian is Jesus.

Jesus, he is in you, he is in you, he is your nature. He is your inner nature now as you look into the Bible and you see Jesus in the Bible then that inner nature of Jesus and you response to what you see in the Bible and your change from glory to glory, the more you look in the word of God, the more you go through a metamorphosis, and the more that which is only inside the more you look in the word of God. The more that which is on the inside comes to the surface the same thing as taught in Romans chapter 12 verse one I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice to be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind now the word transform.

There is the same word being metamorphosis by the renewing of your mind, you renew your mind, looking into the word looking into the word of God and as you look into the word of God you began to see the Lord Jesus. And there comes a sympathetic vibration the Christ in the word and the Christ in the heart begin to work together and you get to be changed. The Bible says your change from glory to glory as you look into the word of God and see the Lord Jesus Christ reflected their you look into the word of God and you see a sale. You see unworthiness as James says in so so you confess that you will forget what you are.

You say got I'm sorry that you get cleansed and forgiven and then you go back to the word of God and now you see the Lord Jesus and you look in Jesus and you contemplate Jesus, and you love Jesus and the Bible says you are changed into the same Amy as you look into the mirror of God's word from glory to glory, that is, you will stop growing.

You just go from one stage of glory to another stage of glory. Now my dear friend, is a principal. Did you know that we become like what we worship is just a principal man worships money is going to become materialistic.

Many people worship money man worships power and prestige. He's going to come hard and cold and callous if he were sex and I he's going to become spiritually dead as a stone me one more verse and I'll be finished look in Psalm 115 look with me in verse four, the psalmist speaks of the idols of the heathen assessor idols are silver and gold.

The work of men's hands that house with a speed not, I have a but they see not, they have ears but they cannot Moses have they put they smell not bad hands with a handle not have a but they will not need to speak, they threw their throat know what's verse eight. They that make them are like unto at first the man mostly idle and then the idle moles. The man is a biblical principle you become like water you worship there will be a great Christian God is giving you mirror each morning, look in there and see what you look like they got a dirty face did clean and then continue to re-not only see yourself but see you save be finding Jesus and the word of God, praising him worshiping him looking at hand, you're going to find out something is going to happen and you that internation was Jesus is going to come to the surface, you're going to be more and more like your little if you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus Christ.

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Remember these insightful words from Adrian Rogers you want to be a great Christian God's given you a mirror each morning, look in there and see what you look like if you got a dirty face get clean and then continue to read not only see yourself see Satan. We hope will join us next time.

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