Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
There was a story being told between a conversation between a father and a daughter.
And it goes like this:
The Father talks to her about her messy room and he commands her, “Sally, go clean up your room.”
Sally heard her father’s words and she went back to her room to consider what he said.
She studies his commandment and tries to understand what he said and what he meant.
After studying hours and hours, Sally finally understands his commandment.
The father comes back to her and talks to her about the chore that he gave to his daughter.
Sally responds, “Daddy, I finally understand your words.”
He responds, “I’m glad you understood my words, but did you do it?
Did you clean up your room?” Sally responds, “No, but I heard what you said and I studied your words.
That’s why I want to tell you that I understand your words because ‘cleaning your room’ sounds like an interesting information.”
For instance, “Jesse’s mom commands him, ‘Jesse, go clean up your room.’
But, Jesse studies his mom’s commandment and tries to understand what she is saying and what she means.
After studying hours and hours, Jesse finally understands his mom’s commandment.
His mom comes back to him and talks to him about the chore.
Jesse responds, “Mom, I finally understand your words.”
His mom responds, “I’m glad you understood my words, but did you do it?”
Jesse responds, “No, but I studied your words.
I got the information and knowledge of your words.””
The story may sound silly, but this is the point that James is going to make in today’s study.
In high school,
Two weeks ago, I began with a question called, “What will you do with the Word?” has everything to do with God’s Word.
And the big idea that I wanted you to take away from that lesson is that “You Must Receive The Word.”
As Christians, you must find every opportunity to hear and listen to God’s Word.
By doing so, you will grow in your relationship with God; you will grow in holiness.
You must be quick to hear God’s Word, slow to become a teacher who speaks God’s Word, and slow to become angry at God’s Word and those who teach God’s Word.
Not only are you to receive the Word...
Big Idea: You Must Respond To The Word!
We are in verses 22-25, so let’s read it together.
READ.
This passage is perhaps not the hardest thing you have ever read.
It is simple and straightforward instruction given by God through James.
Mark Twain once said, “It isn’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me.
It’s the parts I do understand!”
It is easy to understand this passage, but it is difficult to do what it says.
James told the Jewish Christians that they are to receive the implanted word (v.21).
But, receiving the word meant more than simply hearing and listening to it.
Lest the audience thinks “receiving the word” is simply passive listening, James gives them further instruction on his meaning.
Being a hearer of the word also meant being a doer of the word, not just hearing only.
So, the way I’m going to teach this lesson is this: for the 1st part of the lesson, I’m going to talk about the hearers of the word only and what that means.
The 2nd part of the lesson, I’m going to talk about the doers of the word and what that means.
All of you go to school.
You’re learning social-studies, science, math, and etc.
Sometimes, some subjects are more academic and theoretical as opposed to practical.
You’re learning to be a critical thinker, you’re learning to reason and write essays/arguments.
And during James’ time, there was a philosophy known as Stoicism.
It taught that knowledge is the highest virtue.
The wise people are those who have knowledge and reasoning through learning and information.
You can say that the wise people are those who are smart and intellectual people.
But, I am going to push back and say that some the smartest and the most intellectual people in the world are not the wisest people.
I know people, who have a Master’s degree, who do not know even know how to handle their money well.
(Don’t you think it is important and practical to know how to save money and spend money?)
I have heard men with Ph.Ds who do not know how to love their wives, and as a result it lead to divorce.
(Don’t you think it is important and practical to know how to deal with relationships and marriages?)
And unfortunately,
1. Don’t Respond By Only Being A Hearer Of The Word.
1. Don’t Respond By Only Being Hearer Of The Word.
You Must Respond To The Word By
a.
A hearer-only leads to self-deception (v.22b)
a. Hearer-only leads to self-deception (v.21b)
Hearing/listening/receiving the word implies that a person is getting knowledge and information, as Sally did in the story.
That is how we receive instructions.
We need words!
We need words spoken and written so that we can receive information.
Every day we see lots of different text on television, on computer monitors, on street signs, in newspapers and magazines, and in letters and papers at work or school.
Even on our cell phones, we text and see full words or abbreviations of words.
One estimate is that we read a few thousand words each day.
One estimate is that we read a few thousand words each day.
Learning information and having head knowledge is not bad.
But, in our series known as Practical Christianity, as Christians, head knowledge and information alone are not sufficient.
Look at verse 22 closely.
Grammatically, this is a commandment and a middle voice (do you remember your English grammar?).
James tells the Christians, “But, YOU be doers of the word, and don’t YOU be hearers only.”
Being followers of Jesus is not about having head knowledge.
Being a Christian is not simply going to church, attend Sunday school, listen to the teacher/pastor, and then go home and not do anything about it.
Being a Christian is not simply finding God’s Word or the lesson “interesting”, although there are definitely topics contain in the Bible that are interesting and thought-provoking.
You may know facts about the Bible.
You may be familiar with the Bible stories growing up.
You may know how to answer questions from Bible trivia and get all the right answers.
You may know how to quote by heart.
As important as they are, head knowledge is not sufficient.
It is not sufficient.
Some of you may have heard of the gospel many times.
You may know and believe that God is created you to glorify Him.
You may know and believe that you have sinned against a holy and righteous God.
You may know that because of your sins, you are separated from a saving relationship with God.
You may know that because you are a sinner, you deserve eternal condemnation in hell.
You may also know that God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for sinners.
You may know that the only way for you to have eternal life is to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ for salvation.
However, as I have been repeated, you may KNOW, you may have KNOWLEDGE of these glorious truths in the Bible, but you have not truly responded in repentance of sins and true faith in Christ.
How do you know if you are truly a Christian?
The evidence that you are truly a Christian is that you are growing in your love and desire for God and His Word.
If you say you love Jesus, then you would keep His commandments.
You might think that calling yourself a Christian would be sufficient.
You might think that going to church on Sundays would be sufficient.
You might think that only hearing the word is sufficient.
And James is going to say something that sounds extremely hard to hear:
If you think being only a hearer of the word is sufficient without being a doer of the word, then you are deceiving yourself.
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