What’s in a reflection? 7/9/23
James 1:19-27
- Well Good Evening
- Hope everyone had a good week.
- And your 4th of July was awesome
- Welcome to part 3 of our study in James titled ‘Doubt to Devotion’
- But before we dive into that – let’s work on getting to know each other a bit better.
- Describe yourself as a short, medium, or long fused individual when it comes to anger. (and let us know if it has changed)
- Now, What’s a pet peeve of yours? (so we can know how to help you practice patience and being slow to anger)
- Alright – now that we know what mine fields to avoid – Please open your Bibles to James chapter 1 (Page 1113 in the Blue Bibles)
- As you’re turning there, lets recap a few highlights from our journey through James
- James was the half brother to Jesus
- He was part of Jesus’ family which at one point, thought Jesus was Crazy
- After Jesus’ resurrection Jesus appeared to James – and this likely changed everything for James
- James became a leader in the church and proclaimed the truth of Jesus’ resurrection
- He proclaimed these truths to the point of being murdered by the Pharisees for his zeal
- James wrote this letter to Jewish Christians who were persecuted and dispersed
- Was the life of these Jewish Christians easy or hard? (hard)
- And he started his letter to them by saying
- Count it all joy when you face trials.
- Which sounds crazy
- But we can do this because of God’s great promises.
- And it is wise to seek peace and comfort in the promises of God
- What is the promise we can lean into from Romans chapter 8?
- For Christians, God works through all things for our good and His glory.
- So we should pray, full of faith, for this promise to come to fruition, whether life is awful or amazing.
- And regardless of what temptation comes – trust the Lord.
- Fight with the Word
- And with knowledge that Good things come from God.
- And God’s gifts are always better than Satan’s bargains.
- Now let’s continue and read James 1:19-20, who(Caleb) can read it for us?
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
- In this passage we have 3 basic ideas presented
- Receive the Word
- Do the Word
- Share the Word
- And this will be our main outline tonight
- We need to think about a few things when it comes to the Bible, the Word of God is good for showing us the way to live.
- Turn to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Page _____________)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
- It is a great guide for life. Psalm 119:105 says
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
- What’s a gift you really wanted to get as a kid, and you eventually got? Yes go red ryder BB-Gun for us?
- When I was 10 or 11 years old Razor Scooters came out. Anyone remember these?
- They were all the rage. The gift to get.
- Well it took my parents a few years to get with the times and I finally got one. This was the top item on my wish list for years.
- How silly would it have been for me to finally get a Razor Scooter and then just let it sit in my room.
- Well that’s definitely not what I did – I’m pretty sure I spent much of my Christmas day and Christmas break from School riding that razor.
- Learning how to ride it, jump with it, attempt cool tricks, and of course slamming on the brake and making that nice rubber wheel squared.
- This is how we should be with the Word.
- As we transition from doubt to devotion – and become more like Jesus – and become more mature
- And as we think about the Bible – cover to cover – it matters what we do with the Word
- We need to receive the Word
- Do the Word
- And share the Word
- Let’s talk about each.
- Receive the Word
- James gives us 3 categories of action during our receipt of the Word in verse 19, what are the 3? Quick to hear – slow to speak – slow to anger (
- 1st – Quick to Hear
- Now I love my wife. She is amazing at many things, but 2 thing she is not amazing at, waking up to an alarm. It’s been this way for years. Her younger sister Abby was charged with getting her out of bed during her high school and college years because she would sleep through alarms. Melanie even tried to get a helicopter alarm where it would launch a small helicopter and ring louder and louder until the helicopter was returned to base. None of this works.
- And yet – she will wake up or be aware of the faintest sound of one of our kids crying. It happened last night. I’m drifting to sleep and the next thing I know I’ve got an elbow in my side asking about a kid crying. I heard nothing
- This is the idea of quick to hear
- It may be the faintest of sounds or reminders about the truths of scripture, commands of the Lord, correction from the Word
- A reminder from the Holy Spirit as you dip your toe into the pools of sin & disobedience
- Be like my wife – fully asleep and suddenly awakened because she is quick to hear.
- Slow to Speak
- To put the idea of slow to speak another way I like to say, ‘Jump when the Bible says jump, and sit when the Bible says sit’
- A lot of times the Bible is going to conflict with how we normally see the world, see relationship with other people, and beyond
- And in these moments – especially when facing trials or temptations, we will want to disagree, out loud, or in our mind, or in our hearts
- But We need to not speak or argue against the Word
- This is wise to do
- Throughout the Bible – being slow to speak – even when we want to disagree – is a sign of wisdom, a sign of maturity, a sign of growing up.
- Slow to Anger
- Remember James 1:20 says ‘for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God’
- Check out Proverbs 14:29 (Page ______) ‘Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.’
- This is why being slow to anger is important especially with the Word
- It’s foolish to get mad at the Word
- But this isn’t easy to do, because the Word reveals our sins, our problems
- What do you know the Word is going to show me I’m not perfect
- And although this hurts – as we transition from doubt to devotion
- I need to ask God for help
- And remember God’s word is good and true
- It’s a light to my path – I shouldn’t argue with it. I should respond to it.
- Do of the Word
- This is our next charge from James.
- Someone read James 1:21-25
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 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. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 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.
- To be a doer of the Word we must Prepare our hearts
- Who hear gardens?
- What are some important things to remember or do while trying to successfully garden? Now Mel and I aren’t good gardeners
- But, Doug Shelly – correct me if I’m wrong
- It’s important to have as few weeds as possible and good tilled soil when growing a garden
- We see this in verse 21
- Put away filthiness
- Put away wickedness
- Whats an area where God Word has changed you? And there’s been fruit because of good prepared soil and weeding?
- What’s an area you are hoping God grows you throw His Word?
- This is removing the weeds
- Making sure good tilled soil exists is being able to receive with meekness
- Famous pastor & theologian Warren Weirsbe says, ‘When you receive the Word with meekness, you accept it, do not argue with it, and honor it as the Word of God. You do not try to twist it to conform it to your thinking.’
- Now when we receive the Word – we do more than hear
- We do the word
- We do what it says
- Again we jump when the Word says Jump and we sit when the word says sit
- Mirror Effect
- Now on saturday mornings we’ve been enjoying our Men’s Bible Study at Royal Donuts
- And a new family tradition is for me to bring home some donuts to my family.
- My son Jude loves donuts. The more sprinkles the better.
- He’ll eat the top half of his sprinkle donuts. And as quickly as he is done I try to remind him to throw away his plate and wash his hands and his face.
- And he will go off and run. And he regularly forgets half the task. He regularly forgets to wash his face.
- I’ll call him back in the room and ask ‘Jude did you wash your face?’
- And he will say – oh yes
- And yet all around his face green icing and sprinkles…
- He’s like the man who looks in the mirror and forgets.
- Or the man who hears the word and does nothing with it.
- When we hear the Word we have to respond – we have to let it change us
- This is what happens as we grow and mature
- If we don’t respond and grow because of the Word
- We have to ask – where do we stand with God?
- Have we truly put our faith and trust in Jesus?
- Have we submitted to Christ as Lord?
- Gospel Moment
- We must be a doer of the word – internally and externally
- Confess with your mouth Jesus is the boss, and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead
- Respond in faith – believe in christ
- Respond in action – be baptized and meet with believers
- Respond with hope – tell others the good news of Jesus and how he overcame you
- Share the Word
- Our final step from James chapter 1
- Someone read 1:26-27
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
- What is evidence of a heart changed by the Word?
- Through a changed life
- A changed life that doesn’t look like the World
- And a life that cares for others
- Even the most unlikely – widows and orphans
- Orphans and Widows – do they represent people who have awesome lives or something different?
- So today ask yourself
- Do you receive the word?
- By being quick to hear
- Slow to speak and
- Slow to anger
- Do you do the word?
- Letting the word examine us
- And when it says it’s time to grow, we let it grow us
- Jump when it says jump, sit when it says sit
- And lastly
- Do you share the life changing word?
- Through compassionate love of those around you
- That points to Jesus as our ultimate hope
- This is a life growing from doubt to devotion
- And maturing in Christ
- Let’s all together aim to encourage one another and grow in these efforts
- Pray
- Do you receive the word?