Genuine Faith (Response to the Word) Part 1 - Hearing

Scripture Reading Romans 6:1-14

Welcome

Good Morning and thank you for being here this morning. If you are new with us today, I am glad you are here today. If you have any questions please find me after church or fill out a connection card with your contact information and I would love to get in contact with you. We have a couple of announcements today. We have a short meeting today after church. I would ask all members to stick around. It will be here in the sanctuary.

Announcements

Small groups start up the second week of October

Operation Christmas Child

Prayers

God’s Direction for the Church

Praise for people taking steps of faith

Steve and Karen’s Niece - is ill in Ecuador

Clara Barker - Hip Surgery Recovery

The Lost People in our lives.

Let us Pray

Introduction

We are in the book of James this morning and we will be continuing at verse 1:19. Feel free to turn there as we review what James has taught so far. James has been presenting different tests or situations that Christians were dealing with in his time and we have seen that they are situations that happen to all of us today. So far we have gone through the test of trials and last week we wrapped up the second test and that is the test of temptation. James is presenting these situations to the church to reveal the proper response of a Christian to the experiences of life. The responses of the Christian are different than that of the unbeliever. Such as considering trials joy, as a believer knows that through trial we are sanctified and matured.

As we looked last week, that the believer looks at temptation differently. James was very clear that temptation starts inside each of us as a desire or want. When that desire or want grows to the point that we want it more than we want what God wants for us then we are lead into sin by our own selfish desires.

Today we will look at the believers proper response to the Word of God. Stand with me as we read.

James 1:19–27 (CSB)

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James is building off of verse 18

James 1:18 (CSB)

18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Because we are born by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of his firstfruits. The Word of God should not be taken lightly. Scripture speaks of the high place it should sit in our lives. Peter reaffirms that we are born again through the word of God.

1 Peter 1:23

23 because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.

The word of God is living and active in the life of the believer.

Hebrews 4:12 (CSB)

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It is the living word that penetrates to the very core of the believer and is used to grow and correct the believer and sanctify him or her in Christ likeness.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (CSB)

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

John 17:17 (CSB)

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

As we look at the scriptures and see how vital it is to the life of a disciple of Christ. We must come to the conclusion that without it be growing in our relationship with God and others. It corrects, encourages, saves, sanctifies, builds up, rebukes, and so much more. It is so important to what a believer does and is but the believer must receive the Word of God intentionally and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit it is foolishness to an unbeliever.

1 Corinthians 2:12 (CSB)

12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

Even with the Holy Spirit, a person must prepare and cultivate a life and heart that is fertile to receive the word so that it produces abundance of righteousness in a life.

Matthew 13:18–23 (CSB)

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

This is going to be the focus of James today. He will reveal what fertile ground looks like in our lives. He is going to challenge us to be hearers and doers of the Word. This week we will at the Hearing part and next week we will look at the doing part.

A Wise Attitude

James 1:19 (CSB)

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

In the context of this chapter, this verse speaks of the interaction of the believer with the Scriptures. A true believer will read scripture and will desire to bring their life under the teaching and guidance of the word. It should not be like pulling teeth to read a truth in scripture and submit to it. Though it may be hard to break the habits that a believer has in the sins of a persons life, it is the desire to want to and strive to repent of that sin and to be free from it that is key. There should be a spiritual desire to be in the word. The Psalms show this type of desire

Psalm 1:1–2 (CSB)

1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.

Psalm 119:1 (CSB)

1 How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction!

Psalm 119:10–14 (CSB)

10 I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands. 11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you. 12 Lord, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes. 13 With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches.

Psalm 119:14 (CSB)

14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches.

There is rejoicing of the believer in the word of God as it penetrates and renews them. James brings up three characteristics of a believer when they discuss and interact with other believers when it comes to the Word. They are first to be quick to listen. This is an important part of all communication. It is really the first step of any communication. Listening to the other person. Who here has ever had a conversation with someone who would speak and then while you were talking you knew that all they were doing was thinking of the next ting they were going to say.

I was in a meeting one time with ...

When we interact with the Word we should be quick to listen to the Holy Spirit and when we talk to other believers we should be quick to listen to them as well. We are also to be slow to speak. to give time for the Word to be fully understood and for our thoughts to be mature and wise. Quick responses are one of the characteristics of foolish people in the bible.

Proverbs 17:27–28 (CSB)

27 The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a person of understanding. 28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent—

discerning, when he seals his lips.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 (CSB)

2 Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

Proverbs 10:19 (CSB)

19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent.

Proverbs 13:3 (CSB)

3 The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

Conversations between two parties that are quick to speak and slow to listen tend to lead to anger. That also happens when the word of God speaks to us and a believer is confronted with sin or correct. The natural response is quick justification and many times anger. We know that in James leadership position he would have been dealing with conflict over and over again between believers in the church. Some of them are recorded in the scriptures but it is likely that was teaching about the proper way to handle conflict in these disagreements.

The Worthless Attitude of Anger

The reason that a believer is to respond this way is

James 1:20 (CSB)

20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

He puts it very bluntly. Human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. What the bible says produces righteousness is peace.

James 3:18 (CSB)

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Paul repeatedly list anger as something a Christian should be very wary of as it leads to sin and is one of the characteristics of the old self and not the new self.

Colossians 3:8–10 (CSB)

8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

Ephesians 4:31 (CSB)

31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.

Romans 12:18–21 (CSB)

18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing

you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

As easy as it is to become angry it must be understood that it is not a fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 (CSB)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Proverbs 29:11 (CSB)

11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it in check.

Anger is in direct opposition to these in our lives. The type of anger tat James is talking about is the under the surface seething anger. One that may or may not ever show itself to the world around them. But this type of anger hardens the heart towards the word of God. I not saying that spontaneous outburst of anger are acceptable to God but this is anger that maybe only God knows about.

What we should see in the church is the outpouring of peacemakers in the body of Christ. This does not mean complacency or compliance. We are to be bold and stand on the truth. This is not a compromise of the truth. It is the attitude of the interaction of a believer when they are confronted with the truth of God and conflict with other believers.

The Attitude of Purity

James 1:21 (CSB)

21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, ...

A believer who is preparing for the word will seek to remove the darkness in their lives. James is referring to an over abundance of impurity. Things like what we read in Colossians

Colossians 3:8–10 (CSB)

8 But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

or

1 Peter 2:1–2 (CSB)

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,

Paul repeatedly uses this idea of putting off an putting on. Taking of the impure things in our lives and putting on the clean things. This will be an attitude of a believer. To live in sin as we saw last week. To let our selfish want overcome our Godly wants will dramatically affect the work of the bible in a person’s life. I find that people who are struggling with sin know that what they are doing is wrong. I am pretty sure that most people have a pretty good idea of what is not right in their lives. When I speak to people about it I find that they are not actively in the bible. They are like, if i just read more I will be able to get through this. That is true but they have to want what God wants more than they want what they want. If a person is not willing to give up their sin then the word of God will be ineffective in their lives. James is addressing that believers must be striving for purity by removing the filth in their lives. As the author of Hebrews puts it

Hebrews 12:1 CSB

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,

This sin easily entangles us and traps us. It is the idea of running with a burden on your back. Sin holds us back and keeps us from responding to the instructions of God.

The Attitude of Humility

James states that the next attitude is one of humility or gentleness in receiving the implanted word. Receiving the word is the focus of this section of scripture. All of the attitudes that we have gone over are for the purpose of receiving the implanted word. The word that is intertwined, fixed, and part of the believer. Humility is part of submitting to the teaching of the word

Psalm 25:9 (CSB)

9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

Isaiah 66:2 (CSB)

2 My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.

It is this type of person that God looks favorably on. One who is humble, submissive and trembles at his word. It is through humility that a believer becomes teachable. I have coached soccer for 9 years now and last year was a very interesting experience. Kayson’s team was a typical group of pre teen boys. Boys that wanted to do what they wanted. There was a coach on another field that asked if our boys team wanted to scrimmage his girls team. Why not right? We went over there and got absolutely destroyed. After a couple of weeks he came to my practice early and said … Well my record spoke for itself. We started to learn and last spring I got a new set of boys. They were quite and extremely teachable. They were humble. It was amazing how the two go hand in hand.

The same is true for the believer a prideful spirit is unteachable and hard.

And it is necessary for the implanted word that is able to save our souls.

Conclusion

James is starting this idea of hearing and doing the word. The issue is that doing must come from hearing and hearing is different then just being exposed to the word. The believer must be constantly plowing the field of their heart for the Holy Spirit and word to work in their lives. This is the basic building block of our faith. Like the symbolism of the baptism today. We have died to sin and are born again in life. But there is more to it than that.

Matthew 28:18–20 (CSB)

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Hearing the word of God is the first step and the constant beginning to learning to observe or obey the commands that Jesus taught.

Brittany and Kaitlin have submitted to the command to be baptised and so have we in baptizing them. We are to be a body of believers that are constantly seeking the truths of God and wanting to be humbly subject to them. We are to be a place that is slow to anger, quick to listen, and slow to speak. Each and everyone of us has a step of obedience to make.

Are you here and you are tired of running from God and you want to know more about him and the savior that we talk about. Please get in contact with me or some one else in the church that you know. Maybe you need to take the step of obedience in baptism like these two women did today. Lets have a chat about that.

What I do know is that every believer here has steps that they can take in their walk with God today. I ask that you take those steps.

Let us pray.

Romans 15:5–6 CSB

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.