Quick to Listen

I'm in a bit of trouble this morning.

I brought my flash drive with the my notes and the PowerPoint and didn't work. So the notes I've got are no side put back together and if you're thinking back to the memory issue, I was struggling with earlier. You're bound to think old goodness. What is going to be on there? You know, everything seems to be gone but a shot. I told you this story before I see back when I was first in youth, ministry years about 1975. The Puppet Master decided that he would do what do stration for for the church during the sermon. So, he took a book that looked a lot like a Bible. He covered it in Black contact paper and he put in big silver or gold letters. Holy Bible and got up there to use his Bible to preach Ramen. He pressed his Pastor, should be some people don't like that. Passage is General. Some people just tear it out, so you just drove a shoulder. You've never seen a group of people go now at the end, he explained that it was in the Bible. Just a book that look like the Bible. But you could come help if you want me to line to see the book.

Her like no, you got to prove that to me. I didn't want to see And that's just an indication of how we we sometimes get real. Particular about the passages we're going to suggest I go to accept. Sometimes we don't make it but the same thing happens when we've decided our mind. That's from another era that's for another time and there may be things that were custom and we have to consider those things as well. But if I were to say to you, but I believe it the best two pieces of relationship advise are over 2000 years old. You probably say well I need some little more relevant than that you know something to somebody recently or at least explained recently. I can't see how the relationship advice that goes all the way back that far could actually be useful. Where in scripture, we find the number one piece of advice is very simply. Jesus says treat. Everybody else the way you'd like to be treated? I just remaja in for a moment. How I family would change out house with Jade, how a nation would change out school with change. If everybody actually did that even for a day, And then his brother comes along. I'm assuming that James is his brother, and he adds to that. That very simple. Fray from 1st John from James 1:19. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. And what if what do you think about those things and put them together?

Would your life be? And most importantly, had them order with your relationships. Be not just are married relationships. That are parent-child relationships are just our co-worker relationships, are spiritual relationships. Treat people, the way you'd like to be treated.

Quick to listen. you know, it's it's gotten, listening has gotten to be

So mistaken or misuse it culture that we kind of laughed at the idea. And you watch Frasier, how do they address the collar and that's supposed to be funny because it comes from that particular direction. And if you're going to do a psychologist and a psychiatrist or therapist in a TV show or in the movie, you know, his

just sitting here doing it in our age in the way things are done. And yet as James starts to give us his advice. He says the number one thing is Don't just be willing to listen. Be in a hurry to listen. Now, if we're going to be listing, we can't be talkin. If we're going to be listening really, and we can't be planning what we're going to say when the other person finally hashas.

He's talking about real honest-to-goodness.

And how do you achieve that? well, lots of things you could suggest, obviously, but the first thing is,

You going to listen to Somebody look them in the eye. Don't look around the paper or don't look over the TV. Or they're just all kinds of situations that we like to multitask and do this. And think about that. Now we can We need to give people the gift of our undivided attention. I used to do some contract, calcium, go school and This one little boy was the teacher had all kinds of trouble with it and she would say what do you do with them during the session? So I just talked with him.

He actually is willing to just sit there. He never sits anywhere. And my answer back to or is he has my undivided attention.

Whatever he wants to talk about. I'm willing to listen to and I told her, I understand you can't give them your undivided attention the whole time that he's here every day. But people want and need undivided attention, and you might not be able to do that for hours on the end, but you could 45 minutes or tea or maybe in some really serious circumstances or some serious issues. Give somebody your Incomplete Focus. Now we can talk about reflective listening and there are things there that are good things that they are just used. The purpose of a rephrasing is to make sure you're really listening to make sure that you're getting all the information. Because when you say it back to a person or more likely be able to clear up any miscommunication that was going on. It's also about not just content with emotion. Nah, you know where is zoom is a wonderful thing and we do a lot of students. Do you say is nothing wrong with that, but you don't get the emotions resume that you get in a face-to-face conversation. You don't see a lot of the cues that you miss, but it's just digital. It's important that we say, okay?

I'm going to be quick. To listen. I like to look at 1st Samuel, chapter 1. this is the passage where Hannah and her husband have gone to the festival sacrifice. And this particular man has two wives. And, you know, this story, it's referred to a Samuel chapter 1. Hannah has a terrible time going because everything is centered around family and and she doesn't really get to participate at all. People want to make her feel better, but they don't always do it.

I love especially what her husband says to her, Hannah. Why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why you downhearted and then for the Clincher, he's don't, I mean more to you than ten Sons.

none of that is useful to Hannah at that moment in time and so Hannah goes off and starts to pray and she's just Not mumbling, the words when she's moving her lips, while she's talking. And so Eli, the high priest comes over to word. What does he say to her?

Not so my Lord, Hannah replied. I am a woman who is deeply troubled? I have not been drinking wine or beer. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your server for a wicked woman. I've been praying hear out of my great, anguish and grief. And I think Eli's a little bit humble there. I think he's just a little bit taken aback when he understands that he's jump to conclusions. Been too judgmental. And he says sewer go in peace and may the god of Israel Grant you what you've asked of him. first, we know that the god of Israel is going to do Grant, what she's wanting, what she's asking for, he's going to bring the boys and go back to be lied to

And what advice does Elie? Give to Samuel little boy, when the little boy hears voices in the night,

Speak. Lord, your servant. Heareth your servant listens. I just can't emphasize enough how Important. It is we we make those decisions to listen Hebrew chapter 25 verse says refuse not him, who speaks from heaven. We must listen to what God says. We must listen to what God sent through his son and others who have been motivated and inspired by his, his presents, and his breath, literally to write things down for us to hear. We got to listen to those things. But I think what we're seeing here is more of a conversation. There's three things there, you're going to talk, I mean, you're going to listen, you're going to slow down talking and you're going to try to keep anger out of your conversation. The critical thing to do. How does God get your attention when he has something? He wants. He communicate to you.

BB like Houston's disaster in our lives because that often happens when there's something disastrous happens to our city or town or or a group of any kind and we get more serious. Sometimes you do. We have, if you look at research the two times that people are most interested in, spiritual information, is birth of a child and death of a loved one. Are you going to send that to you? Do you want to do? And when you lose somebody, you're affected by that and you want so many things for that individual. And so you or certainly the place where you want be directed advised. Was sometimes we try to misinterpret. What God how God is trying to get her attention.

This is right after.

Elijah has lit. The fire literally or goddess. Little fire through Elijah.

Start down about verse 13. No, go back to 11. The Lord said, go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Been a great and powerful wind tore, the mountains apart and Shout of the Rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the win. There was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake after the earthquake, fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came, a gentle whisper. We did Elijah heard it. Pulled his cloak, over his face, and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave and gods is what are you doing here, Elijah? I think we get to the place where we often expect that God's going to communicate with us or got to get our attention in the big dramatic ways. We can interpret those things and use them. Possibly gentle, whisper that you have to

and if there's a whole lotta noise in your life, it's not easy to hear that. but God speaks to us in that quick to listen gentle whisper that's really important for us to pay attention to Now, if you're looking at your watch your thinking, oh boy. We are trouble. She should have snow today.

Bet you're thinking, it's almost time to be done. And so let me explain how it's not dealt with enough cuz it really is hard to resent because all three of the things function together, but they're all three. So large you get enough time where you can really focus on each of the three it. So here's what I'm going to do. We're going to focus on quick to listen, we're going to finish the other two and then before the end of the year, I'm going to come back and do this twice more where we focus once. So to speak and slow to become angry. And we won't suspect I'm talking about. Listening.

Sometimes kids go to Great Lengths to get their parents to listen. and, That's tired. I'm tired. There's not as much time there, so many things demanding attention, that multiple family members, all voting time. And so we just kind of think, well, I can't do that. And yet, those are children. They will find ways to get our attention. You go to the door and they are saying there was a police officer.

Attention. and there's going to be some really good Talkin at night, you know, that's when they bring home that failing report card. Everything else gets put on hold. We're going to deal with that right now. Unfortunately, we get so busy in our lives that the people who love us and want to talk to us. Sometimes revert to things that are quite serious. In order to get us to talk in order to communicate in order to establish some listening.

Do it.

Because it's going to happen. It's going to occur. One way or another. Okay, quickly, so to speak.

Anybody here never had the experience of wishing you and waited before you answer back.

I think if we said hold up hands I doubt really answer many of us. If any you could say, yeah, I always like the fire right back. You know, it works so good.

There are times when we go. Yeah, I wish I had been that wish I'd given it.

Before I answer. In Proverbs 15:1, it says a gentle answer. Turns away Wrath. Somebody said something, he was that we didn't want to hear Babyface Force us to listen to Tangers. This is so bad. We were spawned and then you see quickly how we go to part 3. As the advice here of this watch profit is so damn. So damn, it was just a little bit of extra time. and think it through, Just a little bit more. and then, the last one is

Slow to anger. Now it's important that we understand but it says slow Is it a sin to be angry? Another passage says be angry and sin. Not So it is possible but we have to recognize that we are in the danger zone. This is a place where he could easily slip and and as you look at this passage, we remind me very much of times that we really listening a little bit of pensive and we responded anger is so we can see ourselves going the opposite way through those three steps. And James's. Listen, slow down and don't answer. Don't let anger be your response. James 1:22. We've been looking at verse 19. He says slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desire. Even if we aren't stealing in her anger, We aren't in the position to be productive. In our Behavior or our thoughts, or what we say and be the positive influence. The God would like for us to be.

All these three things go together, they all fit together. Am I challenge for you in this lesson is So you about listening, just just focus on it, a little focus on those interactions. Those precious Souls around, you who want to talk to, you want to hear what you have to say. If you want to have conversations, Jesus met the woman from Samaria in John, chapter 4. And when you look at what Jesus does with her, Conversate. Jesus doesn't know where that's going. There are times in that interaction. When Jesus goes that way in a minute, I don't listen to this. You know what you're talkin about? Jesus. Let her talk you through a lot of talking and he's very slow dancer back. And even though she says things that are offensive She just doesn't get angry at her. and because of that, the whole village. The whole village is available to Jesus. I was just a conversation and people come through sometime in sick. I hope you. I hope you know that I didn't mean that. And it's really hard, not to think, I think you mentioned. You just me, didn't mean to say it,

We damage, we just would let best process happen, quote naturally.

Are spirit-led cell. Is the selfish listening to what James has to share with us this morning. Would you be always be

Dear God. We thank you for the advice that Echoes down. Little literally through the centuries. We thank you for the wisdom of what Jesus taught. It's such a basic way. We thank you for the wisdom of what James ads. To those relationships and interactions want to speak for you. We want the things that come out of our mouths to be things that are glorifying, you and facilitating relationships. Pray that you would give us the strength of the wisdom. To listen and slow down and not get mad at what week year. Forgiveness is the times when that has happened. You give us strength to stay away from that again. If I did see your precious son Jesus. Amen, this morning. We extend Jesus is invitation if you'd like to respond to that do so now I'll be standing sing