Be Doers of the Word

Daniel 2: 46-49, 3:1 "Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon."

Though Nebuchadnezzar on many occasions witnessed the hand of God in miraculous ways, he seemed to immediately reject the Light he had been given. In the opening text above, Daniel was used by God to tell and interpret the dream God had caused the king to see.  Through this we can take note of three actions that Nebuchadnezzar took:

1.    He was humbled. 
The Bible declares that Nebuchadnezzar “fell upon his face…” as he had seen the work of God thru Daniel.

2.    He testified of God.

“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings”

3.    He erected a golden image. 

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.”

The truth is many will see God’s hand but will not accept it or receive it (Romans 1:20), and because of that man is “without excuse.” Many will also testify of God but will not recognize Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Matthew 7:21 tells us “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Notice the connection between what we say and what we do. Nebuchadnezzar may have declared the name of God with his lips, but sometime after Daniel’s interpreting of the dream, Nebuchadnezzar built himself a grotesque image in spite of the Word of God. What does that mean for us who are saved? Well James 1: 22-24 tells us, “But be ye 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 unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” In other words, we could say that idleness should not be the motto of the Christian worker. The Devil oftentimes moves in subtilty when Christians become idle or complacent. This has become real to us particularly in the Bus Ministry. James admonishes us however to “…be doers of the word…” A moving target is always harder to hit. Having great knowledge is not doing; Solomon was a great example attesting to that fact. Neither is remembering doing either. We must act in order to be a doer of the Word. So, what is the big deal with a little bit of idleness, some folding of the hands? 

Idleness breeds discontentment, separation and forgetfulness. 

The Bible tells us when we are not a doer of the Word, though the Word of God truly shows us who we are, (“…he beholdeth himself…” our sinfulness, our areas of struggle, our great needs) we walk away unchanged and deceived. “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” 

King David in his idleness, though he was at the peak of success fell headlong into the snare of the Devil because he forgot what manner of man he was. Though we boast of the Bus Ministry and Outreach ministries here at Sharon Baptist Church, it is not enough. We must be diligently laboring together for Jesus Christ. This requires us to do more than just boast, we must act. 

Positively James gives us the remedy to idleness. First, we are to:

Look into the perfect law of liberty.  “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty…”

Yes, this requires you and I to be reminded often of who we are and what God has commissioned us to do. This is accomplished through prayer, fellowship, and the study of God’s Word. These three components are readily seen in the book of Acts among the early church. 

Secondly, we are to 

Continue therein.  “…and continueth therein..”

That great connecting word ‘and’ reminds us of a continual exercising our gifts, talents and passion toward the work God has set before us. It is critical to our Christian health and particularly in the Bus Ministry for us to continue therein. 

Well, what is the great result of all this? God tells us that “…this man shall be blessed in his deed.” What a wonderful truth for us to behold that the blessing of God’s favor can be upon our lives as we are doers of the Word. Of course, there are many unnamed blessings not mentioned in this phrase. We have divine protection by being a doer of the Word. We have access to unlimited resources by being a doer of the Word through our relationship and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And lastly, we no doubt will have great opportunity set before us! Remember doers of the Word (1) avoid deception, (2) are reminded of who they are and what they are laboring for and lastly (3) doers of the Word are blessed in their deeds. Praise the Lord for his great goodness to us!

-    Spencer Close,  Bus Director, Sharon Baptist Church