Acting on the Word of God
Acting on the Word of God is applying your faith, because faith is believing the
Word of God and then acting upon it.
James says for us to be doers of the word in James 1:22-25 “but be you doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer
of the word, and not a doer; he is like to a man beholding his natural face in a
glass. For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what
manner of man he was. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer; but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed”.
Many in the church hear the word, but for some reason just sit there and wait for it
to happen; but as you study through the Bible things don’t just happen, you have to
apply your faith to bring things into the now (Hebrews 11:1-3) “now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (faith) the
elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear”.
The man who was sick of the palsy didn’t receive his healing until he acted on what
Jesus said to him (Mark 2:1-12) “and again He (Jesus) entered into Capernaum,
after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. And immediately
many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them,
no, not so much as about the door, and He (Jesus) preached the word to them.
And they come to Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was carried by four.
And when they could not come near to Him for the press, they uncovered the roof
where He was; and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the
sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick of the palsy,
son, your sins be forgiven you. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there,
and reasoning in their hearts. Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? Who
can forgive sin, but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit
that they so reasoned inside themselves. He said to them, why reason you these
things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, your sins
be forgiven you, or to say, arise, and take up your bed wand walk? But that you
man know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, He says to the
sick of the palsy. I say to you, arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into
your house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before
them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, we never
saw it on this fashion”. The man was carried in there by four of his friends, and he
could have said that he couldn’t get up, but he made an attempt and received his
healing.
Now lets look at the ten lepers, they came to Jesus seeking their healing, and Jesus
told them to go and show themselves to the priest (Luke 17:11-14,15-19) “and it
came to pass, as He (Jesus) went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst
of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten
men that were lepers, which stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices, and
said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said to them.
Go show yourselves to the priest. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they
were cleansed”. Notice they weren’t healed until they obeyed the word and set out
to go. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a
loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks,
and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, were thee not ten cleansed?
But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God,
except this stranger. And He said to him, arise, go your way, your faith has made
you whole”. The one who came back giving glory to God not only received his
healing, but he was made whole.
The woman with the issue of blood, didn’t receive until she acted on the word. In
Malachi 4:2 God says “but to you that reverence My name shall the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in His wings (the hem of His garment), and you
shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall”. She believed that Jesus was the
Messiah and she reached in and touched His garment (Mark 5:25-34) “and a
certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years. And had suffered many
things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better,
but rather grew worse. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind,
and touched His garment. For she said, if I may touch but His clothes, I shall be
whole. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her
body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in
Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press and said,
who touched My clothes? And His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude
thronging You, and say You, who touched Me? And He looked round about to see
her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what
was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. And He
said to her, daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace and be whole of
your plague”. Until we act on the word, it doesn’t become a reality.
Many people are professing that they are waiting on God, but God is waiting on us
to believe the word and then act upon it. In II Corinthians 4:13 it says “we having
the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I
spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak”.
Jesus’ mother told the servants “whatever He says to you, do it” and they obeyed
and filled the water pots with water and it became wine (John 2:1-10). The host of
the wedding party ran out of wine, and Jesus’ mother said to the servants,
whatsoever He (Jesus) says to you, do it. And there were set there six water pots
of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
firkins apiece. Jesus said to them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And He (Jesus) said to them. Draw out now, and bear to the
governor of the feast, and they bare it. And when the ruler of the feast had tasted
the water that was made wine, and knew not where it was; but the servants which
drew the water knew; the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. And said to
him, every man at the beginning does set forth good wine, and when men have well
drunk, then that which is worse, but you have kept the good wine until now”. Again
nothing changed until the servants obeyed Jesus and filled up the water pots and
then gave it to the governor of the feast.
The apostle Paul preached the word of God and a man impotent in his feet heard
the word and believed and acted on what Paul had spoken and received his
healing (Acts 14:7-10) “and there they preached the gospel. And there sat a
certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb,
who never had walked. The same heard Paul speak; who steadfastly beholding
him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed. Said with a loud voice, stand up
right on your feet, and he leaped and walked”. This got them in trouble, because
the people thought that they were a god, and wanted to worship them, but they
would not allow that. Saying that the people should turn away from idols and
worship the living God which made heaven. Notice that this impotent man had
never walked, but he believed the word that Paul preached and he acted upon it
and the miracle happened.
In each one of these examples, the people were not any different until they acted
on the word that they heard.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 10, 2011
Acting on the Word of God is applying your faith, because faith is believing the
Word of God and then acting upon it.
James says for us to be doers of the word in James 1:22-25 “but be you doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer
of the word, and not a doer; he is like to a man beholding his natural face in a
glass. For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what
manner of man he was. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer; but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed”.
Many in the church hear the word, but for some reason just sit there and wait for it
to happen; but as you study through the Bible things don’t just happen, you have to
apply your faith to bring things into the now (Hebrews 11:1-3) “now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (faith) the
elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear”.
The man who was sick of the palsy didn’t receive his healing until he acted on what
Jesus said to him (Mark 2:1-12) “and again He (Jesus) entered into Capernaum,
after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. And immediately
many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them,
no, not so much as about the door, and He (Jesus) preached the word to them.
And they come to Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was carried by four.
And when they could not come near to Him for the press, they uncovered the roof
where He was; and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the
sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick of the palsy,
son, your sins be forgiven you. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there,
and reasoning in their hearts. Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? Who
can forgive sin, but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit
that they so reasoned inside themselves. He said to them, why reason you these
things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, your sins
be forgiven you, or to say, arise, and take up your bed wand walk? But that you
man know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, He says to the
sick of the palsy. I say to you, arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into
your house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before
them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, we never
saw it on this fashion”. The man was carried in there by four of his friends, and he
could have said that he couldn’t get up, but he made an attempt and received his
healing.
Now lets look at the ten lepers, they came to Jesus seeking their healing, and Jesus
told them to go and show themselves to the priest (Luke 17:11-14,15-19) “and it
came to pass, as He (Jesus) went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst
of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten
men that were lepers, which stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices, and
said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said to them.
Go show yourselves to the priest. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they
were cleansed”. Notice they weren’t healed until they obeyed the word and set out
to go. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a
loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks,
and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, were thee not ten cleansed?
But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God,
except this stranger. And He said to him, arise, go your way, your faith has made
you whole”. The one who came back giving glory to God not only received his
healing, but he was made whole.
The woman with the issue of blood, didn’t receive until she acted on the word. In
Malachi 4:2 God says “but to you that reverence My name shall the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in His wings (the hem of His garment), and you
shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall”. She believed that Jesus was the
Messiah and she reached in and touched His garment (Mark 5:25-34) “and a
certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years. And had suffered many
things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better,
but rather grew worse. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind,
and touched His garment. For she said, if I may touch but His clothes, I shall be
whole. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her
body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in
Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press and said,
who touched My clothes? And His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude
thronging You, and say You, who touched Me? And He looked round about to see
her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what
was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. And He
said to her, daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace and be whole of
your plague”. Until we act on the word, it doesn’t become a reality.
Many people are professing that they are waiting on God, but God is waiting on us
to believe the word and then act upon it. In II Corinthians 4:13 it says “we having
the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I
spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak”.
Jesus’ mother told the servants “whatever He says to you, do it” and they obeyed
and filled the water pots with water and it became wine (John 2:1-10). The host of
the wedding party ran out of wine, and Jesus’ mother said to the servants,
whatsoever He (Jesus) says to you, do it. And there were set there six water pots
of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
firkins apiece. Jesus said to them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And He (Jesus) said to them. Draw out now, and bear to the
governor of the feast, and they bare it. And when the ruler of the feast had tasted
the water that was made wine, and knew not where it was; but the servants which
drew the water knew; the governor of the feast called the bridegroom. And said to
him, every man at the beginning does set forth good wine, and when men have well
drunk, then that which is worse, but you have kept the good wine until now”. Again
nothing changed until the servants obeyed Jesus and filled up the water pots and
then gave it to the governor of the feast.
The apostle Paul preached the word of God and a man impotent in his feet heard
the word and believed and acted on what Paul had spoken and received his
healing (Acts 14:7-10) “and there they preached the gospel. And there sat a
certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb,
who never had walked. The same heard Paul speak; who steadfastly beholding
him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed. Said with a loud voice, stand up
right on your feet, and he leaped and walked”. This got them in trouble, because
the people thought that they were a god, and wanted to worship them, but they
would not allow that. Saying that the people should turn away from idols and
worship the living God which made heaven. Notice that this impotent man had
never walked, but he believed the word that Paul preached and he acted upon it
and the miracle happened.
In each one of these examples, the people were not any different until they acted
on the word that they heard.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: June 10, 2011
