James 1:19-25
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
2 Minute Drill
Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
In Israel, honoring the LORD with … the firstfruits of all one’s crops was a way of expressing gratitude to Him for His provisions (Deut. 26:1–3, 9–11). It was a way of acknowledging God and His help (Prov. 3:6).
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
James uses a phrase of endearment
“My beloved brothers”
James is going to give some practical principles to living as firstfruits of his creatures (New Creation - Born Again)
“Let every person” -
Could you imagine what would happen if every person was to act this way…
Command #9 “Be quick to hear”
Hear: to listen v. — to hear with intention.
1. To give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing
2. To pay attention; heed
Yes, it means to hear; but it also means to pay attention—with our ears, our eyes, and our hearts.
Listen to more than the words
True listeners look beyond the words themselves—they search for meaning in the speaker’s tone and body language. This is especially important when the communication has an emotional component.
A study done by Dr. Albert Mehrabian at UCLA looked at the degrees to which emotional messages are sent through words, tone, and body language. Regarding the true meaning of an emotional message, Dr. Mehrabian found:
7 percent of meaning is in the words that are spoken38 percent of meaning is in the tone of voice—the way the words are said55 percent of meaning is in facial expression
Command #10 “Slow to speak”
“Slow” - Slow to react
When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Command #11 “Slow to anger”
Anger: wrath n. — a feeling of intense anger that does not subside; often on an epic scale.
Anger in itself is not a sin
Wrath: strong vengeful anger or indignation.
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Hebrews & James 1. A Warning against Ignoring God’s Word (vv. 19–21)
Human anger wastes the energies of God’s people, produces divisions, and often comes from selfish ambition
Hebrews & James 1. A Warning against Ignoring God’s Word (vv. 19–21)
The mischievous works of angry Christians prevent the unsaved world from seeing that the God of all the earth does right (Gen. 18:25). It is impossible to look at the disorderly conduct of fighting believers and worship the God they profess to serve. This should make Christians cautious in our display of an angry spirit.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Command #12 “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness”
“put away”
to stop a state ⇔ take off v. — to stop oneself being in a state or condition; conceived of as divesting oneself of a garment.
filth impurity n. — a state of discredit and shame because of moral imperfections.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
Rampant: overabundance n. — the state of being more than full.
depravity (perversion) n. — the perverting of virtue and moral principles from their purposes to evil ends.
Command #13 “Receive with meekness the implanted word”
Receive: to accept v. — to react favorably to, and thus consider right and proper.
gentleness n. — acting in a manner that is gentle, mild, and even-tempered.
implanted adjs. — marked by being deeply fixed or set within something.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Command #14 Be doers of the word and not hearers only
Hebrews & James 2. A Contrast of Responses to God’s Command (vv. 22–25)
God wants a listener to become a disciple, an obedient follower of Jesus. One who hears the message without doing anything is self-deceived
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.
“He is like a man” - This is interesting, James uses a man looking into a mirror.
Intently: to perceive clearly v. — to be fully aware of through thoughtful viewing; realize fully with the eyes and mind.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Once: immediately adv. — without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening.
“Forgets what he was like”
Who should I look like?
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
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.
Command #15 “The one who looks”
Look: to examine ⇔ to stoop to look v. — to examine, conceived of as exerting effort to see something (not in the line of sight) by bending or stooping down.
Law seems to imply restraint and therefore a lack of freedom. Not so with God’s Law.
His perfect Law provides true freedom.
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Command #16 Perseveres
to stay (continue) v. — to continue in a place, position, or situation.
Don’t MOVE!!!!!!
I am not a hearer who forgets.....
But I am a doer who acts....
Acts: duty n. — work that a person is obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons.
blessed adj. — characterized by happiness and being highly favored (as by divine grace).
There is a blessing when I work the word!
There is a blessing when I walk in good works...
not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.