James 1 | Tuesday
Notes
Transcript
Now today’s sermon is going to be a little different.
My preaching is usually focused heavily on expositing the word of God.
We go week by week, look at passage by passage
And sometimes the messages just aren’t as exciting as you might think they should be
Sometimes the worship set just isn’t as uplifting as you might want
And what I want to share with you today is why this is perfectly ok
We live in a culture of Christianity that encourages, hype
We live in a culture of Christianity that has learned to judge success, and faithfulness, and closeness with God, by experience
We live in a culture of Christianity that determines obedience, by emotion
And in these past few weeks, we have seen a potential example of a common danger that arises from a reliance on hype
Now I am not normally one to preach the news cycle, I think that is a dangerous way to organize the pulpit.
The pulpit should not be the Christians news broadcast, with a pastor instructing everyone on what has happened in the world and how they should think about it
The pulpit is for faithful, consistency
THE PULPIT IS FOR FAITHFUL CONSISTENCY
And what the pulpit has turned into today is hype tool
BUT LISTEN CHURCH THIS PULPIT ISN’T GONNA DEGRADED TO THE LEVEL OF ENTERTAINMENT
WHAT HAPPENS AT THIS PULPIT IS THE CONSISTENT, FAITHFUL PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD THAT LAST GENERATIONS
THIS PULPIT DOESN’T NEED PERMISSION FROM A NEWS EVENT TO BE EFFECTIVE
THE JOB OF THE PASTOR IS NOT TO MAKE THE WORD OF GOD RELEVANT
ITS ALWAYS RELEVANT - AND THE JOB OF THE PASTOR IS SIMPLY TO SHARE ITS TRUTH, FAITHFULLY, AND CONSISTENTLY
But in these past few weeks something happened in our circle, that has caused a lot to question the faith
It has caused a lot to question to church
It has caused a lot to question God
And for the reasons I have already mentioned, i believe is the reason why
2 weeks ago, a pastor by the name of Kenny Baldwin admitted to sending multiple nude pictures over the span of over a year, to a 15 year old boy, he met while preaching at a church.
This pastor is one that held a great amount of influence in the baptist circles
He spoke every year at the teen camp that I brought our teenagers too when i was a youth pastor
He was one of the leading board members at the christian college I attended
He was known as one who would really move people when he preached
And now is he will likely be sitting in jail for many years, will be registered for life as a sex offender, and he will hopefully never step foot in a pulpit again
as he shouldn’t
Now while this is a shocking story, unfortunately its not too uncommon.
We have seen multiple examples of those who were once called faithful men, being found out to predators, and false teachers, and often there is a common demonitator.
Independent studies have shown over the years that there are a few common denominators that regularly show in cases of crimes like this
Child sexual abuse
Coercion
Deception
All of these things, tend to happen in churches where....
Hype is a focus
Whether by the hype of an untouchable celebrity leader
Whether by the hype of emotional teaching
Whether by the hype of a polarizing church brand
But in the end, it is often the churches and leaders with a focus of emotional hype, that ends up being the ones found out
My goal today is not to put down other churches.
My goal today is simply this, that you would answer this question honestly.
If you sit here today and judge men like Kenny Baldwin, would you ask yourself, what would prohibit you from falling into major sin yourself?
Because the issue of a Christianity fueled by hype is absolutely dangerous to the leader, but it is directly effective to the congregation
And today, whether knowingly or unknowingly, if your faith is swayed by hype, then you need to aware
In James 1:21 is says this..
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Can I ask you some reflective questions.
Is your relationship with God a roller coaster.
One day you are right by his side
The next he feels like a stranger
Is your obedience to God like a roller coaster
One day you wake up with a desire to strive for holiness
And the next you are doubting if you are even saved
Is your consistency like a roller coaster.
One month you are in church, worshiping and serving God week after week, and then you are gone for weeks on end
One week you are in your Bible every day, and then you go weeks without touching it.
LISTEN, THIS IS NOT HOW THE CHRISTIAN LIFE SHOULD BE
THIS IS NOT NORMAL
AND DESPITE WHAT YOU HAVE MAYBE HEARD, OR WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT
WE ARE CALLED TO CONSISTENCY, AND IN EVERY SINGLE CASE OF SOMEONE I HAVE MENTORED OR PASTORED,
WHEN THEY ARE AT THE DEEPEST, SO IS THEIR CONISTENCY
OFTEN WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO ME SAYING I AM IN THE DARKEST POINT OF LIFE, I CAN USUALLY TELL THEM WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THEIR CONSISTENCY IN SERVING GOD IS ALSO AT IS LOWEST POINT
It is rare, that someone is in the midst of sin, and wickedness, and filthiness, as James 1:21 says, and they are also at their most consistent.
Notice what James 1:21 says...
HOW DO YOU LAY ASIDE ALL FILTHINESS AND OVERVLOW OF WICKEDNESS =
.....BY RECIEVING WITH MEEKNESS THE IMPLANTED WORD
WHICH SAVES YOUR SOULS
This sound like you?
Zach my life feels worthless
Zach I am depressed and sad every day
Zach I am just angry and irritated nonstop
Zach I have no relationship with God and I just feel guilty all the time
Zach I get nothing out of church
Zach every word out of my mouth is complaining about something
And as a result of all this, I struggle with sin consistently
Sins of negativity, sins of complaining, sins of the flesh, i end up coping with alcohol, and substances, and entertainment, and my life consist of little burst of excitement that carry me through the mess of my life
Sound familiar
3 words, 3 steps I want you to see in James 1:21
“21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Receive
You have to receive the word, thats step 1
You want to know how to work toward removing the sin and overflow of wickedness in your life
YOU GOTTA START BY RECEIVING THE WORD
I am going to say something that I think is very important for us to notice.
“I believe the majority of the reason for the lacking spiritual strength in believers today is due to BIBLICAL ILLITERACY.”
There is an epidemic of Biblical illiteracy among Christians,
THE FACT THAT CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE BEEN IN CHURCH THERE ENTIRE LIFE CAN’T EASILY DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE OF THE OT
OR EXPLAIN WHO THE PROPHETS WERE
OR DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE OF THE TABERNACLE
OR SHOW THE MEANING OF THE LAW OF MOSES
OR TELL YOU WHO DANIEL WAS AND WHAT HE DID
OR EXPLAIN WHAT LED TO EXHILE OF GOD’S PEOPLE
OR LAY OUT HOW THE EARLY CHURCH WAS FORMED
OR HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING IN HOW JESUS WAS PROPHECIED THROUGH THE OT
ITS AN ABSOLUTE EPIDEMIC AND ITS TO BLAME FOR MUCH OF THE REASON WHY CHRISTIANS ARE WHERE THEY ARE AT TODAY
AND THOUGH I AM GRATEFUL TO DO SO, ITS SO INCREDIBLY DISCOURAGING AS A PASTOR TO TEACH THOSE IN THEIR .....
30S
40S
50S
60S
70S
Basic foundational truths and stories from a book that they have been taught for decades, that they should have known within their first 10 years of life
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS 2 HOURS A DAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
IF YOU GOT RID OF SOCIAL MEDIA, AND READ THE BIBLE IN ITS PLACE, IT WOULD ONLY TAKE YOU ONE MONTH TO READ THROUGH THE WHOLE BOOK
PICK YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW SERIES, IT WOULD TAKE YOU ABOUT AS LONG TO WATCH THAT FULL SERIES, BEGINNING TO END, AS IT WOULD TO READ THE BIBLE BEGINNING TO END
Now where it gets particularly concerning, IS THE BIBLE ISN’T SOMETHING BELEIVERS ARE TRYING TO READ TRHOUGHOUT THEIR WEEK, IT IS SOMETHING THAT MANY SINCE THE TIME THEY COULD SIT IN A CHILDREN’S CLASS HAVE BEEN TAUGHT IT, MULTIPLE HOURS EVERY SINGLE WEEK
YET TODAY STILL NOBODY KNOWS IT
WHY?
Well you see biblically illiteracy can be diagnosed by 1 of 3 different settings.
You receive the word at home, but not at church
You recieve the word at church, but not at home
You don’t receive the word at church, or at home
Zach how do I know if I am Biblically illiterate
Maybe if you would feel more comfortable describing the plot and details of your favorite tv show than the word of God
Maybe if you are CONSISTENTLY hearing things you have never heard when you sit here at church
And if this is you the reason probably goes back to a history of your experience with the word of God looking like 1 of our 3 settings.
You grew up reading the word of God at home, but then every Sunday, when you needed the word of God expounded, and exposited, and developed in front of you so you could move on to the deeper things, instead you got stories, and emotion, and hype
2. Maybe you grew up with a faithful pastor, who taught the word accurately, and in detail, and you learned depths of God’s word every week, but then you put your Bible away to never be touched again until next week
3. Or maybe, as most Christians I believe experienced who are Biblically illiterate, go to a church every week for decades to hear a man read a bible verse out of context, hype you up with quippy sayings, and humor, bold stances, and prideful exaltation, only to be followed up with a week of a Bible gathering dust, only to do it again next week
And the person in their 50s and 60s and 70s says WHY DON’T I KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BIBLE AFTER ALL MY YEARS IN CHURCH
Well its because sitting in a church pew, and being a christian doesn’t result in you receiving the word
Receiving the word happens when a pastor stand faithfully in the pulpit, Sunday after Sunday, and he teaches you the WORD, not his opinions, not current events, not funny stories, BUT THE WORD, AND HE CONNECTS THE OT TO THE NEW, AND HE COVERS MORE THAN 5 WORDS OF SCRIPTURE, AND HE IS ACTIVELY EXPOSITING THE WORD OF GOD CONTINUOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE MESSAGE
But not only that leads to Biblical literacy, but also when the believer takes that Bible home, and they open it on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and then come back to BUILD ON WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED ON THE NEXT SUNDAY, NOT LEARN SOMETHING NEW FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN
And unfortunately the pulpits, and the hearts of believers today have replaced the word of God, with hype.
The issue isn’t that you never went to church, it’s that even though you were in church, you weren’t receiving the word the way you should have been
The issue isn’t that you weren’t obedient, or genuine, its that you weren’t receiving the word through the week.
You want to know how to get out of the hold of the overflow of wickedness, you go to receive the word.
By Gods grace, you IN THIS CHURCH have a pastor who has committed his ministry to ensuring that you will hear this word taught.
Maybe my preaching isn’t the most exciting
Maybe it’s not the most energetic
Maybe it’s not the most emotional
AND THATS OK BECAUSE ALL THOSE THINGS ARE IS HYPE
AND HYPE DOESN’T RESULT IN BIBLICAL LITERACY, IT RESULTS IN FALSE CONFIDENCE AND IT RESULTS IN PEOPLE SPENDING YEARS IN CHURCH NOT KNOWING ANY MORE OF GOD’S WORD THEN WHEN THEY STARTED
But its not just about receiving the word, its about receiving it in meekness.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness
One of the most common trending factors found in a pastor caught in some serious, ongoing sin, is that he had elevated himself above the rest
no accountability
no judgement allowed
no humility
And he may say it, and he may preach it, and he may even act it, but it is the pastors and the believers who are living in pride, WHO STAY BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE RECEIVING THE WORD
The Pharisees new the scriptures better than any, and shared it on a regular bases, but it was their pride that caused them to interpret it in a way that their was little not true receiving of the word
You must receive it with meekness, and from a man who is preaching it in meekness
The shepherd protects, and guides, and cares for his sheep.
He does not lord over them for pride.
But is not just receiving the word in meekness, but its truth must be implanted
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word
That word implant means to be established in, its like a country planting their flag on a piece of land, it is established
And things that are established, are very hard to remove
You know its very difficult to establish the word of God in your heart, with only a 40 minute sermon once a week
It’s not enough time
Receiving the word can be accomplished to some extent once a week, if the pastor is diligent using that time efficiently
But establishing happens at home
Implanting the word of God, happens not on Sunday, but on Tuesday
Throughout the week
The normal days
The routine schedule
When you are actively living within the very presence of the truths you are trying to implant
You see hype culture isn’t too effective on Tuesdays
Christians who are guided and controlled by hype, struggle through the week
On SUNDAY THEY SING THE SONGS, THE PASTOR ENCOURAGES THEM WITH CATCHY SAYINGS
THEY LISTEN TO EMOTIONAL PIANO MUSIC WITH HEADS BOWED AND EYES CLOSED AS EVERYONE CRIES AND MAKES DECISIONS THEY’LL FORGET MY LUNCHTIME
And they ride that high through the rest of the day, and their ready and excited to serve God
But by Monday they realize they didn’t really learn anything to take with them through the day
And by Tuesday they are back in the world
It’s like drinking a big energy drink on Sunday and after a few days they have a big crash, then they are left to find some more hype on their own
So they listen to some pump up worship music and that gets them going for awhile until they crash again
BUT THIS ISN’T HOW THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WAS MEANT TO BE LIVED
YOU AREN’T DESIGNED TO LIVE OFF ENERGY DRINKS
YOU NEED SOME SUBSTANCE
You see Paul had something to say about this in Hebrews 5
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
THIS IS THE CHURCH TODAY
THIS LETTER APPLIES DIRECTLY TO THE CHURCH TODAY
HE SAYS YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN TEACHIGN THE WORD BY NOW AND FOR SOME REASON YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TEACH YOU AGAIN THE BASICS OF THE WORD OF GOD
HE SAYS YOU ALL ARE AT A PRESCHOOL LEVEL UNDERSTANDING WHEN YOU SHOULD BE THE ONES TEACHING BY NOW
And he uses this picture, saying you can’t eat the solid food yet, you are still on the milk
You are like a baby that can’t handle the complex truths yet, and still need to be taught the foundational stuff over and over again because you aren’t mature enough to handle anything else
YOU SEE WHAT PAUL WAS WARNING ABOUT THE MILK BACK THEN I THINK HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE ENERGY DRINKS TODAY
IT IS THE HYPE AND THE EMOTION OF A PLEASURE OBSESSED WORLD THAT DESIRES NOTHING NOW EXCEPT CONSISTENT BURST OF PLEASURE TO CARRY THEM THROUGH LIFE
AND ENERGY DRINKS ARE GREAT AND HELPFUL WHEN THEY SUPPORT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE THATS NEED A LITTLE BOOST
Please don’t misunderstand me to think that it is wrong to express joy to the lord
Or to sing praises to God
Or to be happy and excited to serve him
THESE ARE NOT WRONG THINGS, AND THEY ARE NOT WRONG WITHIN THE CHURCH, BUT YOU CAN’T LIVE OFF THEM ALONE
AND WHAT HE HAVE TODAY IS BELEIVERS, AND PASTORS, AND CHURCHES, AND WORSHIP BANDS, AND INFLUENCERS, WHO HAVE REPLACED THE WORD OF GOD WITH PLEASURE
And we wonder why there is so much malnutrition in the life of believers today
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
You want to know how to protect yourself from falling into deep sin, continuous unrepentant serious sin, like Kenny Baldwin
You want to know how a church protects itself from their pastor, and their leaders, and their congregations becoming involved in deep sin like this.
You consistently with faithfulness, receive the word with meekness, implant it within your heart, and continually let it be exercised within you so you can discern good and evil.
These are all things, that are often found void, in congregations where continuous sin is present.
And notice what comes after the hearing, its not just hearing for the sake of hearing, you must practice it.
EX: There was a man by the name of Ravi Zacharias, who died a few years back. Known as one of the greatest theologians to ever live.
He was firm in theology, he was direct, not much show, not much hype, pretty boring speaker, and really intricate and thoughtful theology.
Shortly after he died, it was found that he had sexual relationship with multiple different women across the world, over the span of 6 years at least, and he used ministry money to pay off the women so they wouldn’t tell on him
He didn’t have much hype
He was definitely a very prominent person, and a lack of accountability in his ministry was very much to blame, but he was a unique example of someone who regularly taught the word, well, and still fell into the sin
And the reason was ultimately due to him not following the next step after adequately receiving the word
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
We get this warning at the beginning of the passage, about how important it is to hear, and how to hear the word
But then its followed up with the warning, that IF YOU DON’T DO WHAT IT SAYS, you will be deceiving yourself
You see I don’t think most Christians are even at this level yet
Most Christians today are in the milk stage
They are in the energy drink stage
They are like a child who cries when they are hungry they get a little drink and they take a nap only to wake up upset again until their next feeding
But this warning is for the believer in the meat stage.
They have heard the word
They know what the word of God says
They are digging deep into the truths of scripture, and now comes the application
You can’t do what the word says if you don’t know what the word says.
But once you do, understand, its not enough just to hear
Don’t be deceived into thinking that a greater level of Bible knowledge equals more obedience
BUT DO UNDERSTAND THAT A GREATER LEVEL OF OBEDIENCE OFTEN RESULTS IN A DESIRE FOR A GREATER BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
You some churches have become nothing but a house of mirrors
Even the ones where the word is taught well
The congregation comes in on Sunday, looks at themselves, reflect on what they say, and then leave forgetting what it is they even saw
And notice the remedy for this...
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
You want to know what you can do in your life to make it more likely that you will fall into continuous, unrepentant, serious sin.
Limit your hearing and reading of the truths of God’s word
Make what you do know of God’s word, all about you
Don’t implant it within your heart, instead just dabble in it occasionally
Don’t act on it
And if you do these things I can ensure you, that you will be far more likely, to fall into deep sin
And if you are doing all these thing, you will know something is missing in your life, so you will likely do as many christians have, and turn to hype
to satisfy what's missing
You see real spiritual growth doesn’t happen on Sunday, it happens on Tuesday
In happens in the mundane, scheduled days
And the deep sin usually doesn’t take root on Sundays, it takes root on Tuesday
Through the week
Its on the Tuesday, the Thursday, 3 o clock, standing at the water cooler, or driving home from work, at night in your bed, when you are a few days removed from all the hype, that you can really test where you are with God.
And its in those moments you must stay faithful to the hearing and the doing of the word of God.
And the churches that do that, faithfully, consistently, that don’t deal with all this mess
You see you might be discouraged with the entire state of the church today because a single pastor in another state fell into sin
But what doesn’t make the news headlines is the thousands of churches, who have pastors who stand in the pulpit faithfully sharing the word of God, consistently, week after week after week
And their congregations are obeying God and striving in his word daily, week after week after week
The Tuesday Christians don’t often make the headlines, and that’s because their faithful
THERE IS NO NEWS TO SHARE BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THE SAME THING WEEK AFTER WEEK, YEAR AFTER YEAR
CONTINUING IN THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY
Its the pastors who are faithful on the Tuesdays, spending hours in their offices preparing messages, and praying for their people, instead of trying to be a celebrity that don’t make the headlines.
And its often the churches you never hear of, who are the ones doing just as is commanded in James 1.
I’ve had this Bible verse on my phones wallpaper for some time now
11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,
We should strive to be the kind of Christians whose love for God is shown most evident on the Tuesdays, in the mundane.
And when that is our goal, the goal of consistent hearing and applying of the word of God, always growing, only then can we truly lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness.
