Listening and Doing

Intro- tell the story of the itune giftcard and mishap with buying hey jude

Proverbs

The New International Version (Chapter 9)

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,

and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

Wisdom is knowing and living out God’s ways.

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.

- Charles Spurgeon

James quick facts

Author- James the half brother of Jesus and early church leader in Jerusalem.

Audience- The Church at Large, Especially Jewish Christians

Reason For Writing- To Encourage Believers to persevere through hard times by relying on Christ and His wisdom.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Our culture often invites us to see ourselves as victims when we experience opposition, but The Gospel reminds us that opposition is an invitation to trust and grow.

Change your mindset

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

God is the source of all good wisdom.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Wisdom rooted in The Lord prevents us from being thrown by the waves of culture.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Testing is training.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Our unchanging God is the source of all the good we have.

We should not allow our desires to deceive, distract, or destroy our focus on Jesus and our pursuit of becoming who He created you to be.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Wisdom is slowing down and not only listening to God but doing what He says.

Deception will lead to destruction if we don’t do what God’s says.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

It is like we have been given a plan to freedom……we just need to read and actually follow.

Listening and doing will lead to freedom.

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Look for ways to be listening to God.

When trials come don’t panic, just pray for and pursue wisdom.

Follow Jesus and find freedom.

Surrendering to Jesus is the smartest decision you could make.

God isn’t looking for excellence, but He isn’t opposed to effort.

Well, in Hebrew it’s called hokhmah, and it usually gets translated into English as "wisdom." It’s an attribute of God that God used to create the world, and hokhmah has been woven into the fabric of things and how they work. So wherever people are making good or just or wise decisions, they are tapping into hokhmah.

Our culture often invites us to see ourselves as victims when we experience opposition, but The Gospel reminds us that we are victors because we have God and His wisdom.