Obey Better

ME (A hook):

As I was trying to come up with an illustration to begin this sermon about Obeying Better,

I was sitting at home typing away,

While my wife, Stephanie,

Was grooming our dog, Forest.

She was cutting her hair,

Trimming her nails,

Giving her a bath,

And brushing her.

Now, Forest really isn’t a big fan of grooming,

Especially when it comes to nails and the bath.

But I was sitting here,

Watching all this play out,

Trying to think up a clever illustration on obedience,

When Forest excitedly ran out of the bathroom after her bath,

Then Stephanie calls Forest to her,

So, she can brush her after her bath.

Immediately, Forest excitedly runs over to Stephanie,

And sits just to get brushed.

Then I said out loud,

“Look at her!

She is listening so good!

Because it doesn’t matter what your doing,

She believes whatever it is,

It is good for her!”

Then it hit me!

That’s it!

That is my illustration!

That is how we obey better!

We listen to God,

Like a dog,

Who trusts that what God is telling us to do,

Is for our good!

Therefore, we obey.

And even if we may not enjoy being groomed by Him,

We always come out on the other side smelling better.

So, our passage this morning is James 1:19-25.

And it is all about obeying better.

Central to this passage is God’s Word.

James references Scripture or God’s Word several times in these few verses.

Now, it is important we understand,

When any of the NT authors refer to Scripture,

They are talking about the collection of sacred books,

That are inspired by God,

But at that time,

They only had the OT.

Because the NT was still being formed in light of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of God’s Word is to reveal Himself and His will.

God inspired people like James,

To write the books and poems and letters and prophecies and narratives that have all been compiled together,

To make up His infallible revelation.

So, although the Scriptures were not complete during James’ time,

It is completed today,

With the Old and New Testament making up the entirety of God’s Word.

But the OT during James’ time,

Is the same OT we have today.

During His life on earth,

Jesus gave His seal of approval that the OT is God’s inspired Word.

So, James talks a lot about Scripture in our passage this morning.

And when he does,

He is talking about the combination of the written OT,

In light of Christ, His work, and His teachings.

It is important we remember the context of our passage.

James is continuing his communal exhortation that began in the passage we looked at last week,

Where he taught about persevering through trials better.

Now, he follows that up,

Writing about responding to the truth of God’s Word,

By Obeying Better.

Slide

The three parts to obeying better are:

Humble Hearts (vs. 19-21)

Remember Scripture (vs. 23-25)

Obey Wholeheartedly (vs. 22)

The Scripture that requires obedience makes obedience possible.

WE (19-21) (Why does this matter to us?):

The first part of obeying better is humble hearts in vs. 19-21.

And what does a humble heart do?

It listens.

Slide

That is how James starts this section,

“Hurry up…and listen!”

But also,

Be slow to speak.

This is an incredibly needed message.

Because we tend to place such a high regard on being a talented or charismatic speaker,

Even in Christian circles.

But James wants us to comprehend,

That being a talented and gifted listener is even more important.

So, this is an incredibly practical and helpful lesson in the way we relate to one another.

But James is not actually just talking about listening to others.

In fact,

He is saying,

First and foremost,

We must be quick to listen to God’s Word.

That is the context around this command.

Going back to vs. 18,

He is talking about the word of truth.

That is what he is saying we must be quick to listen to.

Because the person who listens intently to the word of truth,

Is the person who grows in godliness.

The problem is,

We will not be quick to listen to God’s Word,

If we do not humble our hearts.

We cannot approach God’s Word with our defenses up.

If we do,

James says,

It will lead to us becoming angry.

And we will resist God’s Word.

Ec 7:9 says,

Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Connecting Ecclesiastes to James means,

When we are not quick to listen and slow to speak,

We are being fools,

Because it reveals the anger lodging in our hearts.

Proverbs also says a lot about this.

For example,

Proverbs 10:19 says,

Proverbs 10:19 (ESV)

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent...

Or wise.

So, James is building upon these wisdom principles from the OT,

Reminding believers of how this virtue of being quick to listen and slow to speak,

Avoids the human anger that lodges in our hearts.

The human anger that does not produce God’s righteousness,

As vs. 20 says.

This, James says, is how we approach God’s word of truth.

But what does this look like in a practical sense?

Because I don’t know many people,

Who pick up their Bibles and start talking to it,

Before reading it.

So, what does it look like to approach God’s Word talking and not listening?

Well, it does not have literally be words we speak out loud.

But if we come to God’s Word,

Thinking something like,

“This is what I want the Bible to say.”

Or if we are coming to God’s Word looking to justify ourselves.

Scan through it,

Just to find a verse that will fit what we are trying to say.

Doing this,

Is like when you are in an argument with another person,

And you are not really listening to what they say.

Instead, you are just thinking about what you are going to say in response.

So, James gives us this command,

Because naturally,

None of us are quick to listen or slow to speak.

We hate to listen,

And we chomp at the bit to speak.

Have you ever read a verse,

And thought,

“Well, that can’t be what it really means.”

Or,

“I know it says that,

But what it really means is...”

I know I have heard believers say things like that.

But this is not anything new.

God’s people have been doing this all throughout our history.

Instead of humbling our hearts to listen to God and His Word,

We resist it.

This was how God’s people responded to the prophets in the OT,

It is how the scribes and Pharisees responded to Jesus when He spoke the Words of the Father,

And it was how they responded to Paul when he was preaching in the synagogues.

In fact,

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town.

Slide

Therefore, James says to the NT people of God,

We must rid ourselves of all moral filth,

All shame,

And all overflowing evils—rampant wickedness.

This command is all over the NT.

1 Pet 2:1 says,

1 Peter 2:1 ESV

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

Colossians 3:8 ESV

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

This picture of putting these things away,

And ridding ourselves of them,

Is the idea of literally taking off an article of clothing.

It is a helpful picture,

Because we wear so many of our worldly ideas,

When we come to the Bible,

Which pushes back against all these things.

Picture it this way.

Sin has made the world freezing cold.

Kinda like today.

So, we put on these layers,

Things like filthiness and wickedness,

Because it makes living in this cold world a little more cozy.

But when you enter into a warm, heated building.

Keeping those layers on starts to make you uncomfortable.

So, you take them off.

That is the picture of God’s Word.

It radiates this warm and comforting heat,

It is like entering into a warm building on a cold day.

It is far better than wearing a jacket out in the cold.

And it makes the layers of filth and wickedness uncomfortable,

So, naturally you take them off.

The picture here then is this,

If you are not uncomfortable in your layers of filth and wickedness,

Then you are not close enough to the source of warmth,

You are not close enough to God’s Word,

You are still out in the cold.

Therefore,

James says, put aside those sinful and selfish ideas of the world.

Put off those layers,

And instead,

Humble our hearts,

Come into the warmth,

And receive God’s implanted Word.

We should not be avoiding the warmth of God’s Word.

It is a gift!

Why would we continue to trudge through the cold,

Avoiding this warm sanctuary,

Saying, no thanks, I’m good, I’ve got my jacket of filthiness!

Eventually, the Bible warns,

That jacket will fail us,

And we will freeze to death in this cold world.

So, come near to the warm gift of God’s implanted Word.

This helpful imagery continues in a beautiful way.

The gospel being implanted means the source of warmth that keeps us alive,

Is set deep within us.

It is like drinking a warm cup of coffee,

Or eating a warm bowl of soup.

That warmth starts within us,

Never growing cold,

And in fact,

Just the opposite,

It radiates from within us,

Warming every part of our soul,

Saving our souls from the deadly cold.

But this language actually goes all the way back to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was speaking to the people,

Who were not living up to God’s law.

Technically, they couldn’t live up to it.

But in the midst of this,

Slide

Jeremiah gives the people a promise from God.

Jeremiah 31:31–33 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God promised to write His law,

His Word,

On the hearts of His people,

To plant it in our hearts.

Slide

Ezekiel similarly says,

Ezekiel 36:24–27 ESV

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God plants His Word in our hearts,

But He also plants Himself,

His Spirit in our hearts.

Together,

They compel us to obey better.

This is what James is bringing together.

Teaching how our faith is put into action,

By the Word and the Spirit that is at work in our hearts.

And as we accept the Word with humble hearts,

Our souls feel the warm depths of salvation.

Do you long for the warmth of God’s Word?

It is a treasure to be cherished.

If you don’t,

And you think your layers of worldly thinking are warm enough,

You are deceived.

Come near to the only gift that warms you from the inside out,

The only gift that will save your soul.

And get rid of the filth,

The evil,

The worldliness that is drawing you away from the very Scriptures that save you!

Humble your heart,

And receive the gift of Scripture.

GOD (23-25) (Teach the text):

Closely intertwined to this,

Is the need to Remember Scripture,

Skipping ahead to vs. 23-25.

Slide

James says,

If anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer,

He is like a person who looks intently at his face in a mirror,

Then forgets what he looked like.

It is helpful to remember,

In the ancient world,

They did not have mirrors like we have today.

They would polish metal.

So, they had to really look closely to see rightly.

The illustration James is getting at,

Is how Scripture is like a mirror for the soul.

Hearing God’s Word is like looking intently into a mirror.

Scripture shows us how much we need grace.

It reveals our true character.

But if we look at it,

And see this reality,

Then close our Bible,

And go about our days,

Forgetting how much we need God’s grace,

Then we are like a person who forgets what we look like,

Seconds after looking in the mirror.

This is an intentionally ridiculous analogy.

Because James does not want us to be like this person.

Therefore, he prohibits believers from merely being hearers of the Word.

Slide

He says in vs. 25, look closely at the Scriptures.

The phrase he uses,

Literally means to stoop down to get a closer look at something.

It implies effort in examining God’s Word,

To not forget it,

To persevere,

To do what it says.

I picture it like when I am working on my car.

I can be clumsy,

And sometimes I am working above the engine,

Trying to reach into a tight area,

And I fumble a screw or a nut or a bolt.

So, I stoop down,

Crawl under the car,

Shine a light,

And begin to look intently to find that screw, nut, or bolt.

Sometimes,

I just sit there and stare at the exact same spot on the ground,

For what feels like forever,

Trying to see what is right there in front of me.

That is the idea James is getting at here.

Sometimes, we are going through our lives,

Doing our thing,

When we fumble in some way.

So, we need to stop what we were doing,

To look at God’s Word,

Read it,

Study it,

Remember it.

Don’t be content with just a quick glance.

Sit there and take it in for what feels like forever,

To see what is right in front of you.

James says the person who does this,

Will not forget it.

Unlike that other person in the previous verses who forgets what he looks like.

James is once again tapping into the history of God’s people here.

Back in Deuteronomy,

God gave His people the law for the second time,

Just before they went into the promised land.

Amid this,

God gives one of the most important passages,

Slide

Related to remembering Scripture.

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

A couple chapters later,

In Deuteronomy 8,

God repeatedly warns His people not to forget His commands.

So, the point is clear,

Don’t forget God’s Word!

Let it take root in your heart and mind.

Always keep it before you.

This is why Scripture memorization is such a vital spiritual discipline.

Before you say you can’t memorize Scripture for one reason or another,

I realize we all have different capacities when it comes to memorization.

But allow me to maybe just nudge you a little further than where you currently are when it comes to this.

Because the Bible says that God’s Word is more precious than an abundance of pure gold.

So, while I realize we all have differing capacities when it comes to memorization,

For most of us,

The biggest obstacle is not our capacity to memorize,

Rather, it is how much we value Scripture.

Do we value it more than the movie quotes we have memorized?

Do we value it more than our favorite song lyrics we can sing every word to?

Do we value it more than the stats of our favorite sports teams?

Do we value it more than the historical facts we know by heart?

When we compare it to some of the things we have memorized,

We realize that we have managed to commit things to memory,

It is just we memorize the things that matter most to us.

When it comes to obeying better,

We must first humble our hearts,

Be quick to listen,

To draw near to the warmth of God’s Word,

Because Scripture matters to us.

But James warns,

That if all we do is listen,

Then we are fools.

If we come to church,

Listen to a nice sermon,

Read our Bibles,

Then go about our days,

Forgetting what the Word said.

Then what’s the point?

When we listen to Scripture,

We must remember Scripture.

So, let me encourage you to stretch yourself in some way.

Maybe that is picking one verse a week to commit to memory.

Maybe you could do it with your family during dinner or before you go to bed.

Maybe ask someone here in church to do it with you before you leave today.

As brothers and sisters,

Let’s encourage one another to hide God’s Word in our hearts,

To Remember Scripture.

Because if we don’t,

We forget how horrible sin truly is,

And how gracious God’s provision in Christ is.

It is Scripture that confronts our hearts to these realities.

Slide

Therefore, remember Scripture,

James says,

And you will be blessed.

Because Scripture,

Vs. 25 says, is the perfect law,

The law of liberty.

In other words,

God’s law sets us free.

Romans 8:2 says,

Romans 8:2 ESV

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

So ,the one who looks intently in God’s perfect law of freedom,

That is the Gospel,

And has the course of their life shaped by it,

Not only hears the Word,

But does what it says,

Putting their faith into action.

And are blessed.

YOU (22) (Response):

So, when it comes to obeying better,

We have seen how we must have humble hearts,

Remember Scripture,

And now, lastly,

We go back to vs. 22,

Where we see we obey better by obeying wholeheartedly.

Slide

This verse is really the theme of the entire letter.

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

His point is that you are not really listening to God’s Word,

If you are not doing what it says.

The bottom line is that true listening leads to godly action.

As vs. 21 says,

When the gospel is truly implanted,

You cannot be idle.

It thaws you out from the coldness of this world,

Evoking worship of God,

Which leads to action.

James’ warning here is,

If there is no action,

Then that indicates that there is no acceptance of the Word.

He is getting at the essence of genuine faith.

He is saying that if you trust Jesus then you obey Jesus.

And if you think any differently,

Then you are deceived.

Again, James is not alone in teaching this.

1 John 2:4 teaches,

That if you say,

“I trust in Jesus”

But you live contrary to Jesus,

Then you are deceiving yourself.

If you are deceived,

Then you are blind to your true spiritual condition.

Even if you have heard the word,

And say you believe in it.

If you do not do what it says,

James says you are blind,

You are deceiving yourself,

Into thinking you are right with God.

But James says,

You are mistaken.

Slide

Jesus similarly taught...

Matthew 7:21–27 (ESV)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Slide

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Jesus is warning,

And James is warning,

That if your spiritual life is built on merely listening to Jesus’ Words,

And not obeying them,

Then one day,

Your life will end in destruction.

And it is deceiving.

You will think you are all good,

Until that day comes.

This is deeply concerning.

There are potentially many people,

Coming to churches,

Listening to sermons,

Dropping some money off on their way out,

Then going home,

Forgetting what the Word says,

And not doing it.

Perhaps they will do some things.

Things that are easy or convenient,

Things they agree with as right.

But the minute God’s Word confronts or challenges or convicts them,

Then they forget it.

Then they no longer do what it says.

If you can relate to this,

James is warning you.

He is saying that you are not living a true Christian life,

You are not genuinely living in faith.

A true Christian life,

Has God’s Word planted in your heart,

The warmth of His Word flows through you like blood pumping through your veins.

Your heart is humbled by God’s grace,

You remember Scripture

And you obey it wholeheartedly.

This, James says, is the true Christian life.

You may argue that willingness is enough.

After all, passages like Psalm 51:17 say,

Psalm 51:17 ESV

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

So, your right,

God does desire a willingness.

No doubt about it.

But James is teaching us,

How God takes this broken and contrite spirit,

This humble heart that listens to His Word,

And Remembers Scripture,

And by His Spirit compels you to obey wholeheartedly.

So, yes, a willing spirit is enough.

But if you say you have a willing spirit,

But then don’t obey,

The reality is,

You weren’t really willing.

So, James’s encouragement is that you wouldn’t use willingness as an excuse for idleness.

But you would actually do what God’s Word says.

Don’t just be willing to confess your sins,

Don’t just be willing to forgive others,

Don’t just be willing to help the poor,

Don’t just be willing to share the gospel,

Be doers of the Word,

Not just hearers.

But—

You may be thinking,

Isn’t this legalism?

WE (Paint a picture of the future):

Slide

Listen again to what James says in vs. 25,

James 1:25 ESV

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.

How does James describe God’s Word?

He says it is God’s perfect law of liberty.

Liberty does not equal legalism.

Therefore, God’s law is good,

It is perfect.

And James is not just talking about the OT law.

He is talking about the law in light of Christ.

He is talking about Christ’s Words,

And Christ’s work,

That sets us free from our slavery to sin and this world.

That is what this perfect law of liberty says.

And when we listen,

And do what it says,

We will be blessed.

So, it is important we listen to the entirety of Christ’s Words and works.

Because if we only listen to certain parts,

We will be deceived.

For example,

Does Jesus love you just the way you are?

Yes, yes He does.

Romans 5:8 says He demonstrates His love toward us while we are still sinners.

Will Jesus still love you no matter what you do?

Yes, yes He will.

Romans 5:20 says where sin increases, God’s grace abounds all the more.

These are glorious realities of God’s Word.

No matter how horrible your sin is,

Jesus can save you.

No matter how little you may deserve it,

Jesus loves you.

But this truth is not isolated from the rest of Scripture.

In the Gospels,

Jesus calls us His friends...

If, we do what He commands us.

And, He says,

If we love Him,

We will keep His Word.

The Apostle John said,

If we say we know Jesus but don’t keep His commands,

We are liars.

So, how does this perfect law bring freedom,

If it also demands obedience?

The answer to this question brings our entire passage together this morning.

James ends vs. 25,

Saying, we are blessed when we obey God’s Word.

We do not obey through sheer strength of will,

By gritting our teeth and trying harder to the best of our abilities.

Rather, going back to the start of our passage,

We humble our hearts,

To receive the life-saving warmth of the Word planted in us,

To remember Scripture,

By hiding it in our hearts and minds.

And as we do this,

The Word that first gave us life,

Will work in and through us,

In partnership with the Spirit,

To move us to obey better.

Slide

This means,

The Scripture that requires obedience,

Makes obedience possible.

James’ point is, don’t settle.

Don’t just listen.

There are many whom God speaks to,

Calling them to obedience,

For days, weeks, months,

Maybe even years.

Whatever it is God is calling you to in His Word,

Do it!

Humble your heart,

Remember Scripture,

And obey Him wholeheartedly.

Perhaps there is something in your life that is just outright rebellion.

Or perhaps it is more of a delayed obedience.

You just keep trying to put off God’s Word.

Perhaps you know what God’s Word says,

But for one reason or another,

You have yet to put it into practice.

Scripture says to turn from gossip,

To be reconciled,

To care for one another,

And more.

If you keep ignoring it.

It is because you don’t want to obey it.

Or perhaps the Word is saying something that goes against our culture.

And you think,

“No one will understand if I do this.”

Even still,

We must obey God’s Word.

No matter the circumstances,

No matter the consequences.

Obedience is a mark of true faith,

According to the Bible.

As we prepare to close this morning,

I want to be cautious.

Don’t misunderstand me.

I am not suggesting we throw all godly wisdom out the window,

And just do, do, do!

Because James says to be doers!

But James is stretching us here.

Because we have the tendency to worry so much,

That we end up not doing anything at all.

So, if you humble your heart,

Listen to the Word,

Absorbing the Scripture into your heart and mind,

You can rest assured,

That the Word planted in your heart,

Works in partnership with the Spirit,

So, you can obey better.

Because the very Scripture that requires obedience makes obedience possible.

Pray.