Sermon Tone Analysis

James 1:19-21

 

Our faith was designed to grow as we mature in Christ.

The book of James was written to help Christians build genuine faith.

Genuine faith has to be tested and will often be tempted.

Without such tests and trials, faith remains weak and self-focused.

God doesn’t want His people to remain weak or lazy or timid; so He moves us out of our comfort zones where trust in Him is necessary.

The first chapter of James is all about how to face various trials and temptations in life so that faith will be built-up and not destroyed.

Think of the way we typically respond to hardship.

Almost by instinct, people stop listening; they start complaining; and they get angry at God and their circumstances.

When life’s difficulties begin to strangle us, some people are tempted to avoid going to church to hear God’s Word.

But a faithful church will always present God’s Word and apply the truth of Scripture to your present circumstances.

Everything God says is supremely relevant.

There is no such thing as an irrelevant word from God.

This is exactly what we need most during a difficult situation.

For that reason, God addresses our need to respond to pain by opening ourselves up to the hearing of His Word.

Pain can be a faithful ally.

It has a way of telling us when something isn’t right.

If we have a sharp pain inside our body, a doctor may have to cut us in order to heal us.

So in this same way, when we bring our pain to the examination of Scripture, God’s Word is like a sharp scalpel that pierces us, it exposes the rot, it shines right through our excuses and alibis — it cuts us in order to bring healing.

To learn how we can respond to trials God’s way, turn to James 1:19-21.

This is a section where James gives us short, terse, imperatives.

These instructions do for a crooked heart what braces do for crooked teeth… they pull us back into conformity.

It takes time and it may be painful, but it’s worth it to have a faith that perseveres.

James 1:19-21.

In honor of God and His Word, let’s stand for the reading of these verses.

19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.* *21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

[NKJV]

 

[Prayer] I want you to consider five ways to respond to life’s trials in a way that pleases God and strengthens your faith.

Each of these points is designed to help you better receive the implanted Word, stated at the end of verse 21.

The first point deals with the beginning of verse 19.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear…”

 

*I.

When faced with a trial, be swift to hear* (19a).

In the NKJV, which I’m using here, the opening phrase is rendered, “so then.”

In the NIV it says, “take note of this.”

In the NASB it’s translated, “This you know.”

The intention of this phrase is to connect what James is saying here with everything he has written in the first part of this chapter.

He’s been writing about facing the trials and temptations of life; and now he’s writing about the correct way to respond to those adversities.

So, in light of all this, he says, know this.

That’s the first thing.

What he’s about to say is something we need to know when facing trials.

Second, this is counsel for Christians whom James loves… “my beloved brethren.”

So this biblical counsel is given in love and will not sound good when examined by an unbelieving heart.

So James clarifies that he’s writing all of this to believers.

Then he says, “let every man be swift to hear.”

Now this phrase applies to all believers, male and female.

But it was to men that he wrote primarily, so they would be able to teach this to their wives and children in the home.

So what does it mean to be “swift to hear”?

This phrase is descriptive of an attentive spirit.

It means you not only /hear/ the message of wisdom, but you /listen/ intently.

One who is swift to hear is a careful listener who notices what is being said as well as what it /not/ being said.

They actively listen for ways to live more obediently to Christ.

So James applies this to our reception of God’s Word, not just in terms of devotional consistency, but in terms of attitude.

Listen to what J.A. Motyer wrote in his commentary on James…

 

We might wonder why the ever-practical James does not proceed to outline schemes of daily Bible reading or the like, for surely these are the ways in which we offer a willing ear to the voice of God.

But he does not help us in this way.

Rather, he goes deeper, for there is little point in schemes and times if we don’t have an attentive spirit.

It is possible to be unfailingly regular in Bible reading, but to achieve no more than to have moved the book-mark forward: this is reading unrelated to an attentive spirit.

The word is read but not heard.

On the other hand, if we can develop an attentive spirit, this will spur us to create those conditions—a proper method in Bible-reading, a discipline of time, and so on—by which the spirit will find itself satisfied in hearing the Word of God.

When trials enter our lives, they can force us to become more sensitive to what God is really saying in His Word.

There are heartbreaks and losses in this life that God will use to break open the true meaning of certain verses; and those verses when realized and savored by the crushed spirit will become like sweet nectar from the Tree of Life itself.

Being swift to hear – a careful listener – is a loving requirement to endure the trials of life.

So this first phrase, “swift to hear” is primarily referring to hearing and obeying the Word of God.

Second…

 

*II.

When faced with a trial, be slow to speak* (19b).

When we become frustrated, it’s so easy to just run-off at the mouth.

Speaking rashly is one of the easiest sins to commit.

It’s so natural for us to be quick to speak and slow to hear, especially when we’re hurting or angry.

But James says that’s just the opposite of what we need to do.

To be “slow to speak” means that we are to really think before we let words come out of our mouths.

It refers to carefully thought-out words that are weighed and well-chosen.

This is so difficult in the middle of a sudden trial.

It’s hard enough when you’re cool, calm, and collected; but in a trial or temptation, carefully thought-out words only come as a result of disciplined habit.

Some of the biggest verbal regrets in my life are things I’ve said in the heat of the moment.

I’ve seldom regretted something I didn’t say, but I’ve often been grieved by something I did say under the influence of adrenalin and pride.

The real work begins in the heart.

The mouth only speaks what is stored in the heart, that’s what Jesus said.

“19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

20 These are /the things/ which defile a man…” [Mt.

15:19-20a].

We’ve all fallen short in this area of our speech.

We know this not only by personal experience, but we have it straight from God’s Word.

James 3:2 – “If anyone does not stumble in word, he /is/ a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”

That means it’s easier for a person to stop any habit or break any addiction or restrain the body in any way than it is to bridle the tongue.

But James is also giving us the word of the Lord on how to respond to these trials.

Part of his command is this: be slow to speak.

This can only happen when the Holy Spirit restrains us before, during, and after a trial.

And by the way, a trial can be just a brief incident; it doesn’t have to involve a prolonged period of suffering.

A trial may be as simple as your mate not giving you the answer you wanted to hear when a baited question was asked.

In a split second, you feel offended, and the fires are lit.

Restraint begins before the trial.

Practicing restraint in speech happens /before/ you’re angered, /before/ you’re tested.

If you think you can keep thinking and living loosely and then your strength and restraint will just miraculously show up when the trial begins, you’re going to be sadly mistaken.

That’s like sitting on the coach all year eating Oreos and then showing up to breeze through the Boston Marathon expecting victory.

How you prepare your heart before the trial will determine how you react /during/ the trial.

So the time to apply James’ warning is now… not after the trials begin.

When faced with a trial, be slow to speak.

Third…