Hear and Heed - James 1:19-25

James chapter 1 beginning and verse 19 my dear brothers and sisters take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires there for get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can say to you do not mean to listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says anyone who listens to the word but does not do it says like someone who looks at his face in the mirror after looking at himself goes away immediately and forgets what he looks like or whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom in continues in it not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it they will be blessed and what they do. Those who consider themselves religious yet. Do not keep a tight rein on their tongue to see themselves and their religion is worthless religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless. Is it to look after orphans and widows in their distress, they keep themselves from being polluted by the world the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be unto God you may be seated.

for those of you who Been around Hillsboro long enough. You have probably undoubtedly seen me on my one-wheel. And for those of you unfamiliar with the one wheel but is that it's self-explanatory. It is a thing that has one wheel on it, but it's a skateboard thing hoverboard thing that you stand on and the wheel is in the middle and you're able to have the surfing snowboard skiing skateboarding feeling as you can glide on pavement gravel or grass dirt Trail sand can't hold water, but you can hover most everywhere you can think of and one thing I enjoy and if you ever try it for those who have tried it, you know, if you try it you need to follow the instruction manual. More particularly one of the big things that they stress in the manual warning videos and safety videos and whatnot that they post on YouTube is it you need to respect with called push back and push back is so the board is flat relatively and as you try to go full frontal on it and go Max Speed eventually the board can only handle so much speed So eventually the board will start to push back of a start to clean up lean forward so that it's warning you physically. Hey, I can't handle this you need to slow down or else I'm going to you know shut off. So you need to respect pushed back because if you don't if you push through it, you just keep leaning forward or lean to the side eventually it will do what's called a nosedive and then you'll know experience skydiving for about a split second before you hit the ground. You need to follow the instruction manual use a hear and heed the words of the instruction manual. You're not just a flip it open once read it and then throw it away. That's one of those things that you need to read and understand what it says, but perhaps most importantly you need to follow it every single time you get on the board or else you're going to get hurt. How to see the tie in the EZ Tire in here with a text this morning and James chapter 1 verses 19 to 25, although 27 is included 2627. But today we're just focusing on 19225 got through James give us a very basic simple truth that none of us here ever graduate Beyond or from and that is this week as Christians need to hear the word of God and we need to hear the word of God. We as Christians stated differently. We need to listen to the word and we need to live out the word. Listen to the word live out the word hear the truth. Keep the truth a very simple point this morning and to kind of breakup how we're walking through the texts going to look at the two points hear the word hear the word, right? So let's look at the hearing the word from versus 19 to 21. My dear brothers and sisters take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness of God desires. 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. So right off the bat, let's not rush past this first phrase that I think we're very quick to do sometimes when we read the Bible my dear brothers and sisters my dear brothers and sisters. This address of affection is found 14 times in this letter. It's quite frequent. James uses it a lot of times and he uses it kind of from three big reasons and sometimes they're all at this for the same reason or all of concurrently. He uses this phrase to introduce a new topic new topic a new change of topic. He also uses it to introduce and instruction that is kind of hard to grasp. So uses this brothers and sisters mom about to tell you is really hard to obey and I just need you to take the phone in and listened in but also he uses this phrase to stress something very important that we need to hear and obey. My dear brothers and sisters, but this is a simple reminder for you. And I it if you're Christian today if Christ is in you if you are part of the family of God will then you're part of the family of God. Okay, he's in structures are not just for any and everybody their intended to be received by God's children. That's also gives us another thing to keep in mind and that is as you and I strive to obey Jesus as we strive to live wise lives before the Lord, which is one of the main reasons James wrote this book as we strive to do that. You cannot do this on a private Endeavor. This is a very communal thing that we must do together. And really we're going to dive into that command be quick to listen slow to speak slow to become angry. All of that happened in community. Can you can't be quick to listen by yourself? Right you need to be quick to listen with others be slow to speak with other so on and so forth. So this is a little reminder. Not only that we are together in this but also with you it's right and it's proper to address one another as brother and sister. I don't know if you've ever been in church context where that's been popular. So for example, I just looked at you sister Becky, but you can call people Sister Sister Sandra brother Jonathan brother Chris brother Andrew so on and so forth. Okay. So if you have ever done that if that sounds kind of weird to you before that and just try it if you want to start as easy a Target, you can try for me brother Jimmy. I'm not going to let you know thank weird of you but something something to try to think about We are family if you are part of the family of God. My dear brothers and sisters take note of this what I'm about to say. You need to pay attention to Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak slow to become angry. I know just what the text says the text says everyone. This isn't addressed only two pastors only two leaders. It's not address just to the congregation congregation. You need to listen to the leaders. It's not addressed Just A Min. It's not a dress just a woman's not dressed just two children everyone in all of these categories needs to hear these words. I also noticed what the text does not say one of our Temptations. I think at least one of my own personally that I struggle with is to insert a little word right here four letter word. Not a cuss word, but functionally could be considered one by the way. We operate everyone else. Everyone else. Okay or temptation is insert that little word right there. Everybody else in my family needs to listen. Well, everybody else at work. They need to start watching their mouths about everybody in the church. Will they need to temper their anger and just settle down a little bit? That's our Temptation or is that just me that you might struggle with that everybody else? Whenever we come to God's word is always think about how my wife for my kids or my a pastor or if this person in charge in this person work, how'd they need to obey this? Brothers and sisters. I remind you softly and gently because I'm preaching to myself this word is for you. the wisdom to Jesus shared before you worry about the speck in somebody else's I look at the plank in your own I'd take that out first so that then you can see clearly Everyone take note of this. What is the instruction? That's the command the quick to listen slow to speak slow to become angry. Another Temptation that we face as human beings is to do the opposite of what God says nearly every time in Scripture that God gives us a good command. Our proclivity is the exact opposite relation to this is humans is to be slow to listen quick to speak and quick to get angry. For example, this may be all too real relevant for some of you but you can just imagine this example, right you tell your teenage son be back home by 9 p.m. But then 9:15 rolls around hasn't come 9:30 comes around still not here 10, still not here 10:15, 10:30 still no Sun. Finally at 11:13 p.m. Your son traipses through the door needs clothes smell like beer. Before the sun can utter a word you just start spouting out. How dare you you are underage, you know better than this. Is this the way you going to treat your mother and I asked her how we have raised you what a disgrace If I could just explain. Quit pausing what the son says is truthful here for centuries. That if you let me explain we left the bowling alley at 8:30 so I could be back home by 9 we left on time. But however as we were heading back home, we had a nail in the side of the road and it blew out the front tire. I do have a spare in my car, but I didn't have a card yet. So I couldn't change the tire. I would have called you and let you know what happened. But my phone ran out of battery in my friend. He didn't bring his phone cuz we thought it was just be a little Local 5 minute, you know run we didn't have any phones to call anyone So eventually we would try to flag somebody down and eventually somebody did stop and help us and this guy he have Jack but it also smells like he was drinking before not only that but after he finished and in terms of like a celebration after putting the tire on the open up another bottle and as he was trying to get back into his car and he spilled some on me. And I meant to say I would have called you but this is what happened. It was not intentional.

You empathize with out a little bit about our temptation is to rush to judgment to be quick to speak and to be quick to let our angle anger boiled over and not to listen to other people. I keep in mind James is talking about the wisdom of listening in general about listening to the word yet. We're going to get to that in just a moment verse 21, but James is first talking about you're going to listen to the word of God. You have to practice listening well in general in all of life. Probably 10:13 tells us to answer before listening. That is folly and that is shame. To answer before listening that is folly and that is shame. On the note of listening well, and I personally believe that's the command that ties these three staccato commands together because if we listen well as we listen well within our speech is going to be well-informed and then Lord willing the anger are well of anger will be dried up if we listen well. I saw one mean one time and you may have seen this picture before 2. It was of a Iceberg or an iced cappuccino in the water and above the surface of the waters to right here is about this much of the iceberg. You can see and it's white and below the surface of the water. There's this massive mass of ice. That's blue and of course underneath the water but on the top for the visible part that you could see it said problems you see and are angry about and then below the surface it said their life story. I just thought that's pretty solid push up really straight into far but there's a lot of Truth in that so often what we need to do in life is just listen to people hear them out here where they're coming from. It's not to justify what they're doing to justify bad choices are not saying that but so often we need to do a lot better and listening to people so then we're going to be good listeners of the word. We have to be good listeners in life. But then look at verse 21. James gets more specific and homes in you need to listen to the words to look at verse 21. He begins with a word picture or an analogy says therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. When describing when describing send WhatsApp to describe it sometimes as we like holding on this day weather be what everybody else you might struggle with greed horn overeating self-centeredness. Whatever it is. Okay. It's the hold on to it to say. Well, then you have to let go of the sin since you have open hands to receive the word of God. Virginians are communicating something a little more active not just passive but very active. He says get rid of or put away put aside all moral filth in the evil. That is so prevalent in the right context. He's referring to Ark temptation to be slow to listen quick to speak and quick to become angry. 50 Cent Get rid of these things take them off in a fusion shutter for Paul uses the imagery of taking off your filthy old clothes so that you can put on Jesus Christ. I love what one commentator said regarding this. He said the image here is not so much soiled garments that need to be cleaned, but filthy clothes too far gone to be salvaged. These are not send to be endured in gradually eased out but dangerous forces that must be entirely removed. Then as we take off the skin then and only then will we have open arms and a blank slate be closed with the word of God? Look at the second part of that verse get rid of all moral filth evil. They're still prevalent take it off and then humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. ESV says receive with meekness and Ivy says humbly accept the nrsv says welcome with meekness. I like the word welcome there. I think it's it helps picture. Well, I think what is being described here. So here in the South cuz Virginia still in the south in the South when you welcome somebody into your home, you don't just let them in the door and let them stay at leave them standing in the hallway of the corridor or even the living room know what you do for Hospitality. Say when somebody comes in your home you give them the grand tour you take them to the kitchen and family room showed them the basement you show them the dining room you show that you know, you give them a tour you invite them into the entirety of your home. When it comes to God's word, we are not to just receive the Bible receive the Gospel receive the truth into our lives and then put it up on the shelf on the bookshelf. And in your I'll keep it away for now instead when God's word comes into your life. You were to receive welcome humbly receive with meekness the word of God in every room of your house. What is that mean that means the room of your finances the room of your sexuality the room of your relationships the room of your work ethic of the room of your community church and all this kind of stuff every single room of your house. You were to welcome God's word into your life and say you're here. I want you to be the guest of honor not only that. I want you to call all the shots. I'm here to obey you and really in fact, this isn't my house anymore. This is yours help me to submit to that's what it means to receive the word of God. Not just in one part of your life. Not just in the part where it says forget ever be patient. It's every component of your life receive God's word.

And then we go to verse 21 verse 22. This is the second one of the sermon live out the word. We looked at listen to the word. Listen well and general listen well to the word and now without the word here and he is the truth verse 22. This is one of the most popular verses in the Bible. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says.

one author he wrote If our heads are full and our hearts are empty will just tip over. Our heads are full and our hearts are empty will just tip over. This faithful followers of Jesus his word must go you may have heard this before. It must go from our head to our heart to our hands. God did not give us this Bible. So you can have a big hats that you can have more knowledge that you can have a vast amount of information about biblical text all this stuff. God gave us this book ultimately to transform us that we would apply it into our daily lives. It's a move us into action to help spur with to action. James uses a persuasive method and verses 23 and following using that of a mirror. Okay. What is a mirror? What is the tax person? Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. What is James communicating there? Well, think about what the purpose of a meter is used for. I think there's two big reasons that we have mirrors in our homes one self-reflection it what do I look like? What what do I look like I truly and then two come along with that for correction and not only do what do I look like, but how can I improve how can I you know make this look better. So you for some of you when you wake up for those of you who are gorgeous today, right? You you look in the mirror. And you say Thank You Lord, but for others of you when you look into the mirror, you say help me Lord help me today. Okay. So if you were to look in the mirror this applies for all of us, right you look into the mirror and then you see a singular to impair coming from your nose. All right. Ben graphic here you see it and then guess what do you do? You come on to church as you're very happy self. You don't even do anything. Okay, what's the point you just wasted time? You wasted that mirrors effort as well. Okay, that was pointless. That was worthless. That was useless. But if on the other hand, you see yourself like that and with the god-given instrument of tweezers, you plucked that sucker out. Well, then that's the intended use of the mirror self-reflection. But also correction K. James's Point here it if you look into the mirror and you see things that are wrong get to this moment when you see things that are wrong and you just walk away unchanged you make no effort to change anything to better yourself if you will. Then it's worthless. You just deceived Yourself by looking into that mirror. If on the other hand the first 25 talks about you look into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed and what they do. 7 verse 25 look at the look at the text. Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom. So here what James is doing? He's saying the word of God is kind of like a mirror. Hey, so when you and I spend time in the Bible when you read it, when you hear preached when you do Bible studies surrounding it about it. It's kind of like looking into a mirror. But when you look into it, you have to continue with it. The first lady that the Greek word therefore looks intently. This is kind of fascinating. It's a parakeet pass looks intently. In John 20 verse 5. It's the same word there that describes John bending over and looking in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. This is at the to this is when John and Peter ran to the tomb when they got there the same verb is used. They looked intently into the tomb. Picture that with regard to the Bible. This is not some casual glance like if you were driving on the highway and there's a billboard and you know, you just quickly looked at it for a second and then you keep going on your Merry way. This is an intentional look you stop you pondered you look at it with intensity with intentionality looking into the Bible That's the described flipping open the Bible read the verse and closing it look intently here. What are you searching for member John and Peter they were searching intently for Jesus. Where is he? What are these clothes doing here? What is going on there? Trying to figure out what was going on. What's the truth? We have art to have brothers and sisters the same attitude when we approached Bellator look intently eagerly look with excitement. do so Why else should we do that because the actual meaning of the word there but also because of what is this? What is this book? Look at the text? Whoever looks intently into what the perfect law that gives freedom. And then the last part that that first they will be blessed and what they do. This book is called the perfect law that gives Freedom. That sounds like an oxymoron isn't it a law that gives freedom? I thought lost constrained. I thought laws restrict the law gives Freedom if you follow the law if you implemented in your life. What does it describe you as being miserable know they will be blessed and what they do. You see brothers sisters one Temptation that we Face another temptation is that when it comes to the Bible, we think the opposite okay, Satan and the world and our own flash try to do everything in their power to make us think that this book is outdated. It's irrelevant and it's a burden but that is not at all what God's word describes itself as if you need examples of this someone stole 19 and Psalm 119. These are three of my favorite songs in the the Salter they all of these books describe God's word is being more delectable than honey that it is more valuable than silver or gold and that we should receive it as such. One of my maybe it's advice and you can be the judge of it. One of the things I enjoy in life is a Chick-fil-A Milkshake the cookies and cream. I love it and So sometimes when I'm sitting at home and feeling guilty or whatever and I want a Chick-fil-A milkshake and sometimes even when it's raining outside and there's fog in the mouth. Sometimes I have that urge in that mindset, you know what it's worth it to just go over the mountain to Waynesboro and go get it milkshake. It's like a 45-minute round trip with a drive-thru 55-minute just walk in and join us milkshake. Okay, what's the point if you and I are that eager that intentional or something so frivolous as a milkshake or about money. There's something else in life in the grand scheme of Eternity. If we are that hard-working that dedicated for these trivial things how much more so should we be dedicated to unearthing the gyms in this book? How easily do you spend time in this book? What is your goal here on Sunday morning? It should not be merely to consume and receive. Hey, it should be to dig with me together to unearth the diamonds that God has for your own. So some of the words for more than rubies and diamonds as God's word talks about K. God's word is gives us perfect Freedom it is perfect and it will bless us if we do it. Then last night concerning this whole mirror talk. When we look into the Bible you might be wondering. How is the Bible like a mirror? How is the Bible like a mirror? commentators differ on this There are three. Perspectives here and I think all three are true at the same time. What does it mean that the Bible is like a mirror? Three ways when you look into the Bible you see number one what you ought to look like? You see what you ought to look like. You see the good standard that you are called to live up to that. You will receive what does God's word. Say be quick to listen slow to speak slow to anger. So that's what I ought to be. Like you see what Jesus said be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. I mean, it's explicitly clear. That's what I want to be. Like I want to be perfect. I ought to be loving out the be compassionate ought to be forgetting. I have to be merciful so on and so forth. We see what we ought to be like but to when we look into the Bible, we see how broken we are. We see how far short we come of the standards of God. That's a large part why God gave the law in the Old Testament to show us how sinful we are that's from Romans chapter 3 and 4 and in chapter 7, so we see how broken we are when we look into the Bible, but then thoroughly most importantly we see who we truly are. If you are Christian the Bible gives you a true reflection of who you are. Okay? Yes, you are sinner. Yes, you are broken, but guess what as a Christian you are now extinct. Okay, you are broken redeemed Saint and who does Christ call you now? How does Christ view you as how does the father of you you now? He views you as perfect. He treats you as perfect. He treats you as though you never send because the father sees Jesus clothing you in his righteousness. In God's words multifaceted white receive multiple things multiple ways of how it reflects Us and how who we truly are. You see the point of a mirror and a point of God's word is that one it leads us to Beauty. But to it's very honest and truthful. It doesn't cost over your faults, but it doesn't leave you in your faults God by his spirit and by his word cleanses you little by little by little as we spend time week after week here in Shermans reading scripture together as you do it at home in your own time little by little. Is cleansing us redeeming us putting us back together. And as we seek to live out the word. Will be blessed in what we do. brothers and sisters Give you a simple reminder of something that we are all heard many many times. And that is this here the word heed the word. Listen to the word of God live out the word of God. Hear and heed the truth for if you do so when you do so you will be blessed and what you do?

It's brothers and sisters if you want to zip around safely on the one wheel if you want to zip around enjoy on the one-wheel you have to listen and you have to live it out. Okay? Let's pray the spirit to give us power to do that for divine wisdom. And then we will close without the doxology.

Our Father we Plainly knowledge and recognized it. It is extremely easy to come here every Sunday. It's easy to take notes. It's easy. Listen to the words easy though to read the word. father what's most challenging of all is to Let Your Divine truth Transfer from our heads to our hearts and then to our hands. Holy Spirit apart from your enabling power apart from your presence we labor in vain. We cannot obey we cannot do this. But we know Jesus that by your promise to us and we sang about this morning standing upon your promises. But you promised not only to send your Holy Spirit to walk with us to empower us, but did you have indeed sent him and he lives inside of us for those of us who follow you? Holy spirit, will you please help us to rely upon you to be sensitive to your leading to be aware of what you want to teach us? But you will give us the Divine Supernatural power. To forgive to be compassionate to put away sinful vices that plague us. Holy spirit that you will please help us to temper or anger he thoughtfully and careful and loving in our speech. Perhaps most of all that you helped us to have ears that are eager to hear to listen to others that hurts the pain the worries the fears of others. The most importantly that you'll help us to have ears that are eager to hear from you. Help us to look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom. Help us as brothers and sisters in the family gone to encourage one another to live out this truth. Help us to hold one another accountable in our pursuit of godliness in our pursuit of wisdom. Jesus Christ, will you please forgive us when we fall short? Please hold us, please Ross near in our failures. Thank you that you never leave us that you never forsake us up us to rest into rejoice in that gospel truth. As we seek to live wise lives before you. You can make these things to you in Jesus name. Amen.