Hearing and Doing
Notes
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Introduction
Introduction
Here at Keltys, we place a great deal of emphasis on expository preaching. First of the nine marks of a healthy church. Expository preaching takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon. Central to the sermon is scripture. This is important because...
Expository preaching takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon. This is important, because it is God’s word that equips us for righteousness.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
In the same way that scripture is central to the sermon, it should also be central to our daily bible study. It is God’s word that equips us for righteousness.
Scripture alone, is not enough. To be sure, they are just words on a page.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
James has a lot to say about righteousness. His teachings concentrate on works that exemplify the teaching on justification by Paul. James’ primary aim is to show that anyone who makes a commitment to Jesus must show moral evidence of that commitment. He emphasizes the practical side of Christianity. James is so bold, that it is often off-putting. I have a love hate relationship with the book of James. The book of James is very convicting at time. but I do love the practical nature of James.
James has a lot to say about righteousness. His teachings concentrate on works that exemplify the teaching on justification by Paul. James’ primary aim is to show that anyone who makes a commitment to Jesus must show moral evidence of that commitment. He emphasizes the practical side of Christianity. James is so bold, that it is often off-putting. I have a love hate relationship with the book of James. The book of James is very convicting at time. but I do love the practical nature of James.
I have a love hate relationship with the book of James. The book of James is very convicting at time. but I do love the practical nature of James.
Practical Theology.
If you are like me, you like formulaic approaches; distilling problems down to the least common denominators.
Lose weight: consume less, burn more
financially stable: spend less, save more.
James is all in about living a righteous life. He gives us a formulaic response to living righteously.
So, today, I want to talk about how we can receive God’s Word.
There is a logical chain that James outlines (flow chart.) We must be practical theologians. (doers) But before we can do, we’ve got to receive, and in order to receive, we must hear.
He gives us a formulaic response to doing so in the first chapter of his book. Here he tells us that to live a righteous life, we must be hearers and doers of God’s Word. Many of us, however, are not doers of God’s Word because we are not hearers of God’s word.
he tells us that to live a righteous life, we must be hearers and doers of God’s Word. Many of us, however, are not doers of God’s Word because we are not hearers of God’s word.
So how do we live a righteous life? By being doers of God’s word, but before we can become doers, we need to be hearers.
Many of us have a problem, however
The imperative in is to receive or to accept God’s Word.
The imperative in is to receive or to accept God’s Word.
Context on Hearing.
Hearing (Ear)
Hearing (Ear)
Exposition
Know This
Not emphatic. Literally, “This you should know.” James is speaking to fellow Christians. They/we should know this.
Quick to Hear
Context on hearing scripture.
tachys (tachycardia; tachyon: particle that travels faster than light)prompt (always on the ready)
tachys (tachycardia; tachyon: particle that travels faster than light)
prompt (always on the ready)
Application
Many of us hear the word of God, but don’t accept it.
Not talking about those who have not been regenerated
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
John 10:26
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
We are talking about believers.
Barriers to Hearing
Focus: We go through motions. Lack Focus
Illustration
Driving - red lights, reading, paragraphs
This is a perennial problem. “To proclaim the Word of Truth as well as to listen to it is hard work....Thus let us exert ourselves in listening.” Augustine (5th century)
Speed of information.
We want things distilled down into consumable packages.
Google has made us lazy. Social media has spoiled us.
Blinkist
Blinkist lets you read the key lessons from 3000+ nonfiction books in 15 min or fewer.
Application
TLDR,
Reduce media intake. Plan quite time. Do the work.
We don’t really Esteem God’s Word
, after returning from Babylon.
ezra read for hours. the people stood
We limit our consumption to church gatherings.
ridiculous amount of bibles available to us, just because they are available doesn’t mean that we’ll use them.
We don’t long for God’s word.
Think of daily bible reading as an appetizer for the main course on sunday.
Maybe we consider it a chore.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
Long for. Desire. Crave. Have great affection for.
psa 41:2
phone bill with tamesha
Taste and see.
Application
Application
Fellowship with other believers that have that craving. Make personal study a habit.
Reduce media intake. Plan quiet time. Do the work.
Fellowship with other believers that have that craving. Make personal study a habit.
So we should be quick to hear, with that, we should be slow to speak.
Speaking (Mouth)
Speaking (Mouth)
Exposition
Slow (not hasty)
Speak (on behalf of God)
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Small group settings. “What does this scripture mean to you?”
Not spending the time finding out what the scripture actually means.
Illustration
Small group settings. “What does this scripture mean to you?”
Not spending the time finding out what the scripture actually means.
Application
Understand the gravity of speaking on behalf of God. Before we speak, we must hear.
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Matt
Our words are accurate gauges of our hearts.
Good teachers are good learners. Asymetric. We should be learning (hearing) more than speaking (teaching)
Understand the gravity of speaking on behalf of God. Before we speak, we must hear.
Small group settings. “What does this scripture mean to you?”
Not spending the time finding out what the scripture actually means.
Slow to Anger (Heart)
Slow to Anger (Heart)
How does anger apply here?
Exposition
Exposition
Orge, not thumos (resentment not fury)
Resentment of God’s word does not lead to righteousness.
In fact, resentment is a symptom of disagreement.
Don’t build up resentment because we don’t agree with it.
Presuppositions
personal biases: philosophical baggage
Don’t bend our understanding of God to match our thinking, change our thinking to match what God has revealed to us in His word.
Illustration
philosophical baggage
personal biases: philosophical baggage
Martin Luther detested this epistle of straw.
not contradicted—Paul’s teaching on faith.
he thought that it contradicted—Paul’s teaching on faith.
instead of identifying the friction, we
same sex marraige
State of Theology
everyone sins a little but is essentially good 52%
god accepts worship of all religions, including christianity, judaism and islam 51%
Oprah, late 20s “God is a jealous God. Something in that didn’t feel right in my spirit.”
interracial marriage.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
This was a proof text to claim that races should not intermarry.
It is easy to take verses out of context and support our biases and ignore the rest of scripture
It is easy to take verses out of context and ignore the rest of scripture.
Our presuppositions should be held captive to scripture, not the other way around.
Application
If scripture is causing you grief, the problem is most likely with you, not with scripture.
Don’t bend our understanding of God to match our thinking, change our thinking to match what God has revealed to us in His word.
Putting Away (Hands)
Putting Away (Hands)
Exposition
Put away/Take off, (literally of clothes)
put off the old man, put on the new man ()
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
impurity, filthiness
filthiness, rhupos root word, used by some greek authors to refer to ear wax.
They prevent us from receiving (accepting) the word.
"be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Mortification of Sin in Believers, John Owen
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
rom 8:13
Receive is the key word. A command. A sense of urgency.
the implanted word. (permanently established)
with meekness (teachable)
Before we can receive the word, there must be a putting away of impurity/filthiness (sin).
This is not a call to unbelievers to accept the word, but a call to believers to be influenced by the word.
The same word, however, that saves us, continues to keep our souls safe from sin.
Illustration
filthiness, rhupos root word, used by some greek authors to refer to ear wax.
They prevent us from receiving (accepting) the word.
The word cannot grow in nutrient depleted soil.
Doers and not hearers only.
Doers and not hearers only.
filthiness, rhupos root word, used by some greek authors to refer to ear wax.
James does not oppose listening, but merely listening. The listening must lead to doing. Our theology (our study of God) should lead to doxology (worship of God)
Christians, we are not auditing this class. There are practical demands to our study of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Living a righteous life in accordance with God’s word assumes that we know God’s word. Fortunately, God didn’t provide us a means to download and plant in our hearts and minds the entirety of scripture, nor would we want him to. Struggling through difficult passages, learning the context and background and meaning of a text, these are all benefits of expository preaching, but they are also benefits of hearing or listening to God’s word. God’s word does indeed equip us for righteousness, we just have to be prepared to hear it.
If we give credibility or creedence to these alternative world-views, they can prevent us from accepting the word.