Real Faith: Real Action
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Real Action
Real Action
Good morning its so good to see all of you
So we are going to continue our series in James today
My focus is chapter 1:19-27
As Charlie mentioned to kick off this series
James is full of directives and today’s scripture is no different
It’s alot of “do this” and good things will happen
And it’s also “if you don’t do this” and then you’re fooling yourself
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
As a parent, have you ever been in this scenario
You are in the same room as your teenage son or daughter
You are in your chair and they are on the couch
And trash day is tomorrow
It is this kid’s job to take out the trash
So you tell them, “Hey, go take out the trash. I need you to go do it now, please. Don’t wait until its dark. I want you to do it now.”
No response. So, you repeat yourself
“Hey, I need you to go take out the trash, please. Do it now. Don’t wait.”
Still no response.
So now, you are done being nice. Your volume increases.
“Go take out the trash now!”
The child on couch looks up at you and says, “you didn’t have to yell.”
Can any of you relate with with this?
Do you suppose that God feels the same way with us at times?
In verse 19 he says this
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
The only thing James is telling us to be quick on is listening
Have you ever given someone something to do a certain way because you wanted it done that way?
And when they do it, it’s not done as you told them?
So either you didn’t do a real good job of explaining what you wanted done or they weren’t listening
Most times it’s because we don’t listen well
Epictetus, a Greek Philosopher said, “Nature has given to man one tongue, but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.”
James is teaching us that being a good listener moves in the right direction
We need to ask ourselves a question
Would people say that we are good listeners? Do we really hear what people are saying?
It takes humility to want to genuinely listen to what others have to say
We can be too quick to think about what we want to say rather than listening to what someone is saying
One of the ways to deal with anger is to listen to what others are saying
Too often we draw conclusions too quickly when it may be nothing more than a misunderstanding
Controlling anger needs much more listening and much less talking
But I would also like to take this idea vertically and not only horizontally
We need to be quick to listen to what God is telling us in trials
God is speaking loudly to us in our hardships
James has already told us this at the beginning of the book
God is producing perseverance in us during trials (1:3)
God is working to make us mature and complete, lacking nothing
This means when we are in trials that we are lacking something. We need to listen to what God is telling us we lack
Rather than listening to what God is telling us in trials, we can be quick to speak like Job
In trials we are often quick with our rebuttal toward God in trials
Why is this happening to me? This is not fair! Why do I have to go through this?
Nothing good can come from this! I don’t understand what God is doing!
How many times do we want to argue with God?
How many times do we want to argue with his revealed word and will for us?
Job wished he had been slow to speak
Then Job replied to the Lord, “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”
Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.
You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
Job expresses his sorrow and repentance for being quick to speak
Job learned to place his hand over his mouth
Job realizes he spoke about things he did not understand
Job repented of what he had said about God
Our words need to be asking for wisdom, not words of complaining or challenging the wisdom of God in the trial.
Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
Anger can be and is the destroyer of our souls
Anger doesn’t take us in the direction of Jesus but leads to sin
Anger does not produce the righteousness of God
Perhaps we often think that we have a right to be angry with God
Something doesn’t happen the way we think
The outcome to a project or the outcome of a relationship falls apart
Is this really a good idea?
Do we really want to be angry at God?
When were angry with God we think he has somehow wronged us
This type of anger is based on selfishness and not producing godly righteousness
Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.
Goodness, holiness, and righteousness is not coming from your anger
So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
Last week Charlie talked about temptations
How a temptation is not a sin until we act on it
When we give in to temptations it reveals the desires in our hearts which is sin, the junk, and even evil
Sins are the actions that come from the desires
Sins are the problem that need to crucified and transformed
Anger is the symptom of the problem
Sexual immorality is the symptom of the problem
The problem is in the heart or our sinful desires
James tells us to get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives
Anger typically tells us that there is still some filth in our lives
Solving our anger means we have to look at the inside, we have to look at our heart
James says to get rid of it, get rid of the filth
Now the temptation with this is thinking we’re not angry people
So I would encourage you to do this if you deal with anger
Go to your spouse, your kids, your friends and give them the authority to tell you the truth about you being angry
If they experienced your anger in the past more times than not they won’t be honest with you in fear of what your retaliation will be
I encourage us this morning to look at our anger problem and look for the filth that we have in us and take it to the Lord in repentance
Asking his forgiveness
That’s how we get it out of our lives
I really love the end of this verse
It says accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls
The word implanted in your heart is what will save you
The word implanted in your heart is what is going to end moral filth
The word implanted in your heart is what will transform you from the person you do not want to be to the person God wants you to be
We are not doomed to our upbringing, our environment, our character flaws
The power of God’s word implanted in your heart can radically changed who you are and overcome every obstacle and barrier you have experienced
If you want God to
Work in your life
To do miracles for you
To bless you financially
Move you to a level you have never been before
Want God to promote you
We all want these things to be successful
Then we have to get rid of all the junk in our lives and allow his word to be implanted deep within your heart
Don’t go back and live the way you use to live
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
On any given day there are so many ways we can enjoy or read the Scriptures
I can read my Bible. I can read it on my phone
We can check the “verse of the day”
We can listen to online sermons and podcasts and Bible apps while we drive, in the office, on a bike ride, cooking, cleaning, etc..
Hearing God’s Word is not a problem for most of us
Applying it to our lives is the problem
Do we hear it and receive it?
Or do we hear it and walk away from it to do what we want instead?
We all have to decide daily how we handle the Word of truth, and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly
These verses bring out there’s a huge difference between hearing/reading the Word and actually receiving the Word
The key to all of this is actually pretty simple
Living our faith is not just to hear the Word of God
But to humbly receive it and allow it to reshape our thinking so we will do what it says
So to hear the Word of God and do nothing with it, is really like not hearing at all
God’s Word is meant and intended to change our hearts, our lives, not to entertain us
Its not meant for consumption only, but also for construction
What It Means to Truly Hear
We are not capable of producing the righteousness of God apart from God
Our only hope is Him working in us through the Word and the Holy Spirit
The Bible is truth and it can show our true reflection
We are sinners in need of salvation
But the Bible also shows us God, and offers us the opportunity to reflect His holiness instead of our sinfulness through a relationship with Jesus Christ
But unless we spend time cultivating that Word which has been implanted in our hearts, it won’t grow, and we won’t grow into the mature believers God calls us to be.
Instead, we’ll be like a person who looks intently at their natural face in a mirror only to walk away and forget what he looks like
It sounds kind of silly right?
How could someone forget what they look like?
But when the Bible tells us we can do nothing apart from Christ, and yet, we care little for Christ in our day-to-day lives, walking away from the mirror is exactly what we’re doing
What It Means to Truly Do
Here’s the thing about living according to the Word of God, It’s not optional
If a person says they accept God but they do not accept what God says to do, then they have not actually accepted God
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”
“If you love me, obey my commandments.
When God’s ways are most prevalent in our hearts then God’s ways will come out
But if it’s the world’s ways filling our hearts, then the world’s ways that will come out
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
A daily commitment to doing the Word requires a daily commitment to being in the Word
Willing and ready to receive what it says
Meekness, or humility, is key
If we don’t come to God, needing God, then we’ll be unwilling to receive what God says
The Greek word koitázei mésa for "looks into" literally means "to bend down for a better look."
It takes time and effort to meditate on God’s Word
But God assures us the effort is worth it, promising that anyone who spends time in the Word in order to receive it, and respond to it, will be blessed
What It Means to Truly Have
God could have just required our obedience and left it at that
But in an outpouring of mercy and grace, God has done much more
Not only has God given us His Word to encourage and guide us, but He’s written it on our hearts and given us the Holy Spirit to help us live it
A true follower of God does what God says, not only when life is easy, but also when life is hard
When trials come and temptations persist
When life is just driving us nuts or crazy
We can
Believe God
Respond with faith instead of fear, kindness instead of anger, hope instead of despair
Be doers of the Word, even in hard times
And by our actions, we will testify to the greatness and the power and the truth of our God and Savior Jesus Christ
I want to close out today with the last 2 verses
These last 2 verses could really be a sermon by themselves and so I want to just briefly touch on them
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
In this verse James challenges who considers themselves religious
The Greek word for “religious” focuses on outward displays of religion such as Christian rituals like reading the Bible, praying, going to church, etc
It is possible to be like the Pharisees and have only outward displays of religion and yet not have any inward changes
James says that though one might attend church and small group, vote for the “right political party,” and use religious jargon like “evangelical” and “pro-life,” his faith might only be outward and not inward
How can one discern the validity of their faith
The tongue is a tremendous litmus test for true salvation as it always reveals what’s in our hearts
But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.
When James uses the term “bridle” or “tight rein” it pictures our tongues as powerful horses
Horses in the ancient world were used primarily for transportation and work
They were very useful and expensive
However, they were only useful if they were trained; otherwise, wild horses were dangerous
Likewise, our tongues can do tremendous evil if not controlled
In fact, our natural nature leads our tongues toward evil
Apart from God’s redeeming grace in salvation, our hearts are prone toward pride leading our tongues to boast in ourselves, our race, or nation
Our hearts are prone toward anger leading us to criticize those who don’t hold to the standards we expect or look the way we would like them to look
However, when we are born again and experience a heart change, our tongues, though not perfect, should demonstrate God’s grace over them
Our words should be more prone to give mercy instead of criticism, love instead of anger, edification instead of criticism, worship instead of idolatry
True salvation is demonstrated in this growing ability to control our tongues and use them for good, which is a reflection of a redeemed heart
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Orphans and widows represent the most helpless and needy among us
Throughout Scripture you see God having special care and compassion for orphans and widows
Anyone who is in trouble and has no one to help them protect them or provide for them draws the most tender compassion from the heart of God
The very first organized ministry in the church is a ministry to widows
God cares about people who are in need. And if my religion does not extend as far as my wallet and my planner
That probably won’t be acceptable to God
So what is real faith, real action?
Real action is being
Quick to hear
Slow to speak
Slow to become angry
It’s getting rid of the filth and junk in your life
Not just listening to God’s word but doing what it says
It’s taking care of those around that are hurting and distressed around us
James’s solution in the whole of his letter is a constant appeal to reject evil in thought and practice while living a life which is pleasing in God’s sight, marked by listening to God and others
James urges believers to ingest God’s word and live by doing the truth