Slow Down & Be Quick!

Establish a Need

The Christian church faces some interesting challenges. Challenges that come from both outside the body of Christ, as well as, from within its members.

Unbelievers have struggled to reconcile with what the Christian Church has said is right and what it does. In other words, the world often sees the church as being hypocritical.

So, what do we plan on doing about this?

Give a Personal Example

When I was a new believer, I was not afraid to tell people about Jesus and what the Bible taught. Some were encouraged by my boldness, but one day, a guy said to me that he thought I was brutally honest. I took this as a compliment, but as I thought more about this, I don’t think he meant it that way. I think he meant that though I was being honest, my approach was not very loving / compassionate / considerate of others’ feelings.

(ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 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. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 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.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 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.

Prayer

How are we to live as followers of Jesus?

We are to be a people ruled by peace and not anger

v. 20 says that “the anger of man does not produce (work or perform) the righteousness of God.”

Interesting: James begins to expound on the subject of anger, instead of begining with hearing/listening

Why?

Perhaps, he watched his brothers and sisters in Christ use anger as a way to express their frustration with an unbelieving world

Perhaps he saw and heard his brothers and sisters begin to plot how to rid the earth of their oppressors

Perhaps, like what occurs today, anger was used as a manipulative tool to get what one wants

ESV “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

Man’s anger is paralleled with foolishness.

Paul reminds us in ESV [that we are to] “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”

The writer of Hebrews says in 12:14 ESV that we are to “Strive for peace with everyone...”

Today, we have political battles; we have religious wars; we attack people who do not view life as we view it; we take shots at people on social media; but, where is the love of Jesus in these responses?

The book of 1 John focuses on how you know whether someone is a believer or not by their love for one another

ESV says “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

We are to be a people who put into practice what we learn

v.22 tells us to “...be doers of the word, and not hearers only...”

What does it mean to be quick to hear?

Being doers of the word refers to being doers of what you have heard preached about Jesus

Being quick to hear means that we are more intreste din listening tounderstand others than in sharing our point of view

You see, reading the Bible and learning what it says is not as hard as putting what we know of Jesus into practice, is it?

James is concerned that the church is not just growing in head and heart knowledge, but taking this knowedge and doing something with it to let the world know that it has a Savior in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:1 ESV says that “…’knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up.”

The world needs to see that there is a clear difference in the life lived as a follower of Jesus, and that this life stands in stark contrast to the life lived according to the world and its ways

We are to be a people who don’t speak first and think later

We impact the world for Jesus when we don’t jump to conclusions

v.26 ESV “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue . . . this person’s religion is worthless.”

We impact the world for Jesus when His peace rules in our hearts and not our anger

There are some who voice their opinion rather quickly and end up looking like fools; and there are others, who are thoughtful and only offer an opinion AFTER they have weighed the matter carefully.

James is concerned that followers of Jesus are people who can stand behind their words, knowing that they are true and accurate, having thought through the matter first, instead of being one who blurts out something without thinking

Later, when that person says something, poeple question whether that person is trustworthy

How can poeple trust someone who speaks first and THEN thinks about a matter?

Be thoughtful about what and how you say things

In the English language, it is not just the words we say that carry meaning, but how we say them that adds or gives them meaning.

ESV “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. [Jesus says] I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give [an] account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

ESV “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. [Jesus says] I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give [an] account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

What if this is me?

If you happen to wrestle with your anger, or not putting into practice what you know, or still yet, you are one who speaks before thinking, you are not alone.

We all struggle with these and many other things.

There are many times that I said something that I wished I could take back, but . . . it’s out there now. Nothing to do but confess my sin and aim at being more careful in the future.

NIV “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Our Response

We have been given a great reminder to not let anger live in our hearts; to put into practice what we know; and to give careful thought our words before we say anything.

The challenge we face today: Are we going to live as an ambassador of Jesus or an ambassador for the world and its ways?

Closing Prayer