Hearing and Doing the Word
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Have you ever had one of those “this is it?” moments?
You know what I’m talking about
that thing you were looking forward to for so long
that you thought it would change everything
And then you finally got it
at first?
it was incredible
but give it a little time
and it just becomes normal
The job you always wanted…
You worked for it, prayed for it, chased it
Now it’s just emails, meetings, stress, and long hours
The new car…
Clean, shiny, top-of-the-line…
Now it’s crumbs in the seat, a weird noise you ignore, and it just gets you from point A to B
Marriage…
Man, the honeymoon phase: everything is exciting, effortless, fun
Then real life hits: Bills, schedules, disagreements, kids, exhaustion
And what once felt incredible now just feels routine
And if we’re honest
That’s not just true out there…
TENSION
TENSION
For a lot of us that’s exactly what’s happened with Christianity
There was a time when the gospel wrecked you.
You saw your sin for what it really was
not just mistakes but rebellion
you felt the weight of it
And then you saw Jesus
The cross.
The resurrection
Grace that you didn’t deserve
And it changed everything
You had joy
You had hunger
You wanted the Word
You wanted to be around God’s people
You wanted to grow
But that was
years ago…
months ago…
maybe even just weeks ago…
And life didn’t slow down
Work got busy
Kids took over your schedule
Stress piled up
Trials came
Sin crept back in
Distractions multiplied
And somewhere along the way following Jesus didn’t stop
it just became normal
Not rejected
Not denied
Just reduced
You still go to church…
when nothing else is going on.
You still listen to sermons…
but mostly just take it in and move on.
You know a lot…
but you’re not really changing.
You might even say you’re trying…
but if you’re honest
there are things in your life that you know God has called you to deal with and you’re just not doing it
And before you sit there and think:
“That’s not me”
maybe it’s not
to the extreme
But every single one of us in this room
if we’re honest…
has areas of our life where the gospel has become familiar
and obedience has become optional
See the main idea James is going to pressing on us this morning is that:
If the Word is truly in you, it will be seen through you
And the first place James goes to expose that:
is our speech
And our anger.
TRUTH
TRUTH
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
The Word Reveals Our Heart
James starts with, “Know this”
don’t miss this
pay attention
this matters
And then “let every person…”
This isn’t for a certain personality type
This isn’t just for the loud, reactive, angry person
This is for all of us
Because if what we just talked about is true
if the gospel has become familiar and obedience has become optional
then it’s going to show up somewhere
And James says the first place it shows up
is in how you listen
how you speak
and how you respond when you’re provoked
“Be quick to hear…”
Not quick to respond
Not quick to defend
Not quick to make your point
Instead, James says be quick to listen
To actually hear
to slow down
to consider
to not assume you already understand
This is wisdom language
This is straight out of the pattern we see all throughout Proverbs
wise people listen, foolish people talk
If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
1 And James is picking that up because he knows something:
When the Word is really at work in you it produces humility.
You don’t have to dominate the conversation
You don’t have to win every argument
You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room
You can listen
Then he says, “slow to speak…”
That alone would change a lot, wouldn’t it?
Because most of us don’t just struggle to listen
we struggle to restrain ourselves
We’re quick to jump in
Quick to correct
Quick to give our opinion
Quick to say something we wish we could take back
And honestly, one of the clearest places you can see this right now is on social media
People who claim Christ
quick to speak
quick to react
quick to argue
quick to tear people down
And it’s easy to look at that and say “that’s the world”
But it’s not just the world
It’s Christians too
Unfiltered words
harsh responses
constant outrage
And James would say that right there is what it looks like when the Word is heard
but not shaping the heart
So James tells us, “slow it down”
Not silence forever
but restraint
Thoughtfulness
Control
And then he goes even further, “slow to anger…”
Because underneath so much of our speech is anger
And this is important to understand that James is not saying anger is never right
In Scripture we see that God gets angry
Paul even says, “Be angry and do not sin.”
So the issue isn’t the existence of anger…
It’s the source of our anger.
Because James says, “the anger of man…”
That’s key
Not God’s anger
perfect
holy,
just
Man’s anger
fallen
broken
tainted
We know that as fallen people every part of us has been tainted with sin
which means human anger doesn’t escape that
And if we were honest with ourselves… we know that
most of our anger isn’t righteous
It’s frustration when we don’t get our way
It’s irritation when people inconvenience us
It’s defensiveness when we’re confronted
It’s impatience when things don’t move at our pace
It might not explode outward…
but it’s there.
And here’s James’s point: “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
In other words…your anger is not accomplishing what you think it is.
You think it’s helping
You think it’s justified
You think it’s producing something good
James says
it’s not
It does not produce the kind of life God desires.
It does not lead to obedience
It does not lead to holiness
In fact, it often leads to the exact opposite
sinful speech
division
or regret
And if we’re honest
after hearing that, the natural question is:
“Okay… so what do I do?”
Because if my speech isn’t right
if my anger isn’t right
if I’m hearing the Word but not being changed by it…
what’s the solution?
And this is where James shifts.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
2. The Word Confronts Our Sin
“Therefore…”
In light of everything he just said
Put away and receive
Notice
before James tells you to do anything…
he tells you to deal with something and receive something
“Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness…”
is strong language
Filthiness…
This is the idea of moral dirt
Something unclean
Something that stains
It’s not just “mistakes”
it’s the kind of sin that clings to you
the kind of stuff you carry around
in your thoughts
in your words
in your habits
And if we’re honest…
all of us have some filthiness that we have gotten comfortable with
We’ve stopped seeing it as dirty
and just started calling it normal
And then he says, “rampant wickedness…”
That word carries the idea of abundance or overflow
Not small, isolated sin…but sin that spreads
Sin that multiplies
Commentators oftend discripe this kind of sin like it’s an army
you knock one down
and another one shows up
It’s persistent
It’s active
It shows up in different forms
And James has only called out this kind of sin in a few areas of our lives:
Speech
Anger
Frustration
Impatience
Harsh words
But it’s not just those issues
it’s those and so many more
What does James say to do with them?
don’t play with it
don’t justify it
don’t manage it
Put it away
This is repentance.
This is recognizing sin for what it is
not small
not neutral
but offensive to God
And this connects directly to what we just talked about.
our speech
our anger
Those aren’t just bad habits…
James says that’s part of the “filthiness” and “wickedness” that needs to be put off.
But here’s where this is so important…
James does not say:
“Fix yourself.”
He says:
“Receive.”
“…receive with meekness the implanted word…”
3. The Word Must be Received
That word “meekness” means humility
Not defensive
Not resistant
Not selective
Humble
Open
Teachable
And what are you receiving?
“The implanted word.”
This is huge
This is not just external information
This is the Word that has already been planted in you
the same Word from verse 18 that brought you to life
Meaning this:
If you are in Christ then God has already done something in you
He has already placed His Word in your heart
So the answer isn’t:
“Try harder.”
The answer is:
“Humbly receive what God has already given you.”
Let it take root
Let it shape you
Let it confront you
Let it change you
Because James says: “…which is able to save your souls.”
Not just past salvation…but ongoing, future, full salvation.
In other words:
This Word is not just what started your Christian life…
It’s what sustains it
It’s what grows it
It’s what transforms you
So here’s the connection:
If your speech is unrestrained…
if your anger is unchecked…
the answer is not just behavior modification
It’s not “try harder to be nicer.”
It’s:
Repent and receive the Word again
Because when the Word is truly received
it doesn’t stay head knowledge
It starts to change how you live.
And that’s exactly where James goes next
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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.
4. The Word Demands a Response
“Be doers of the word… not hearers only…”
And then he says something that should stop all of us: “…deceiving yourselves.”
Not confused
Not struggling
Deceived…
You can sit in church every week…
hear sermon after sermon…
know the Bible…
agree with truth…
and still be lying to yourself about where you actually stand with God
That’s what James is saying
If all you do is hear but nothing in your life is changing…
you’re not just immature
you’re deceived.
And then he gives this picture:
A man looks in a mirror
He sees himself clearly
and then he walks away and forgets what he saw
That’s absurd, right?
You don’t look in a mirror just to glance and walk away
You look… so that you can respond
To fix something
To adjust something
And James says that’s what it’s like to hear the Word and not do it
You see what God says about you
You see your sin
You see what needs to change
And then you walk away and do nothing
You forget
Not because you didn’t understand
but because you didn’t respond
But then he contrasts that with another person: “The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty…”
This is the Word of God / The law of God
but now seen through the lens of Christ
And this is so important…
Because when you look into the law of God rightly it does something to you
It reveals who God is
Holy
Perfect
Righteous.
And at the same time… it reveals who you are
Sinful
Broken
Falling short in more ways than you even realize
The law exposes you
It shows you your sin for what it really is
But it doesn’t stop there
Because now, as believers, we don’t just look at the law…
we look at it through Jesus
The one who fulfilled it perfectly
The one who never failed
The one who did what we could never do
So when we look into the Word
we don’t just see our sin magnified
we see our Savior magnified
We see the One who fulfilled the law for us
and then went to the cross to pay for every place we’ve broken it
And when you see that rightly
when you actually see your sin
and you actually see your Savior
how could you just walk away unchanged?
how could you go back to the very things He saved you from?
how could you continue living in what you were once enslaved to?
You can’t see that and stay the same
That’s James’s point.
The one who “looks into the perfect law… and perseveres…”
He doesn’t forget
He doesn’t walk away unchanged
He responds
He becomes, as James says, “a doer who acts.”
Not because he’s trying to earn something…
but because when the gospel is seen rightly…
what other response is there?
And James says that person “will be blessed in his doing.”
Not because obedience earns salvation…
but because obedience reveals transformation
This is what it actually looks like to receive the Word
Not just to hear it
but to live it
And James doesn’t leave this in the abstract
He doesn’t just say, “be doers…”
He shows us what that actually looks like
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
5. The Word Produces Real Change
James make this really practical
You think you’re religious…
you think you’re walking with God…
Let’s test that…
First: “If anyone does not bridle his tongue…”
There it is again…
Your words
We’re right back where we started
Because you can sing songs…
sit in services…
serve on teams…
but if your mouth is unrestrained…
James says your religion is worthless.
Not weak
Not immature.
Worthless.
Because your words reveal your heart
And if the Word isn’t shaping your speech…it’s not shaping you
Then he says: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God…”
In other words, “this is what actually matters to God”
Not appearances
Not activity
Not just hearing
This is what real Christianity looks like: “To visit orphans and widows in their affliction…”
That’s compassion
That’s caring for people who can’t give anything back to you
The vulnerable
The overlooked
The ones no one else is running toward.
This is not abstract love
This is costly
inconvenient
sacrificial love
Real Christianity looks like that and like: “to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
That’s holiness
Not blending in
Not being shaped by culture
Not calling sin normal
Living differently
Set apart
So put it together:
Real Christianity is seen in
how you speak…
how you love…
and how you live
Aka:
Your words
Your compassion
Your holiness
And notice James doesn’t say this earns your salvation
He’s saying this reveals it
This is what it looks like when the Word is not just heard but received and lived out
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
And now we’re right back where we started.
For some of you…
following Jesus has just become normal
not rejected
not denied
just something you do
You go to church
You listen
You know the right things
But if you’re honest
it’s not shaping you like it once did
And James has lovingly, but very clearly, said:
“That’s not something to ignore, that’s something to examine”
So for the Christian in the room here is what James has called us today this morning
Reflect
Not reflecting on “Did I hear this?”
or “Did I agree with this?”
But: “Where in my life is God’s Word showing me something that I am not responding to?”
Where is your speech not reflecting Christ?
Where is your anger revealing your heart?
Where have you gotten comfortable with sin?
Don’t rush past that today or even this week
Sit in it
Let the mirror do what it’s supposed to do
But don’t stop there…
2. Repent
The answer is not “try harder.”
It’s Repent
Turn from the sin you’ve gotten comfortable with
Stop managing it
Stop justifying it
Call it what it is and put it away
How?
3. Receive
And as you repent…
don’t try to replace it with effort
Receive the Word again
Because this is not a sermon to get you to do more for God
This is a sermon to bring you back to the gospel
Because here’s what we’ve seen:
When you stare into the Word of God you see two things clearly
You see your sin…
how far you fall short
how often you fail
how much you need grace
But at the exact same time you see your Savior
You see the One who fulfilled the law for you
You see the One who died for every place you’ve broken it
You see the One who rose again and reigns right now
And when you really see that
not casually…
not quickly…
but when you actually see it…
you can’t just walk away unchanged
you can’t go back to what He saved you from
you can’t stay comfortable in what He died to free you from
Not perfectly
But genuinely
So then we don’t have any other option but do the last thing James tells us to do
4. Respond
Because the only rightful response to the gospel…is worship
And this is what worship looks like:
Putting off the old life
Walking in the new
Watching your words
Fighting your sin
Loving the overlooked
Living set apart
Not to earn anything… but because you’ve been changed
Because the same Word that saved you is the Word that will continue to transform you
UNBELIEVER
And for those of you in the room who would say you’re not a Christian…
or maybe you’re realizing today you’ve just been doing religious things
hearing but never truly changed
James would say something hard but honest: “That kind of faith… is worthless.”
But here’s the good news
The same gospel we’ve been talking about is for you
God is not calling you today
to clean yourself up
or try harder
or do more
He’s calling you to something far deeper
To repent
To turn from your sin
And to believe in Jesus
To trust in the One who fulfilled what you couldn’t
Who died in your place
And who offers you new life
And when that happens…
the Word won’t just be something you hear
it will be something that lives in you and changes you forever
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
James is clear If the Word is truly in you, it will be seen through you
So, to both the believer and unbeliever, don’t walk away today and forget what you’ve seen
Respond
Repent
Receive the Word again
And walk in it
Because, again, when the Word is truly in you it will be seen through you
