James 1:21

Christians Preparation.

Ridding ourselves of all moral filth and evil before we handle the Word.

Weeds must be rooted out before the ground is fit to receive the seed.

We’re specifically told in Jeremiah "For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns.” ()

Let’s read 3:22-25.

First, the prayer recognizes who God is.

True repentance begins with the confession that God is God.

At the same time, recognizing who God is means speaking to him in personal terms.

It is “the LORD our God,” the God with whom we have a personal relationship.

The second thing true repentance recognizes is how sinful sin is.

Once we are squared away on who God is, we need to come clean about what we have done to offend him.

Next God’s people confess how costly their sin has been.

Next God’s people confess how costly their sin has been. False gods are harsh taskmasters. They always damage the people who worship them. In this case they have consumed the “flocks and herds” of Israel (). Worse still, they have even consumed “their sons and daughters.”

False gods are harsh taskmasters.

They always damage the people who worship them. In this case they have consumed the “flocks and herds” of Israel ().

Worse still, they have even consumed “their sons and daughters.”

Little wonder that the people of Israel were utterly humiliated by their sins. “Let us lie down in our shame,” they said, “and let our disgrace cover us” (3:25a).

They made their beds, and now they have to lie in them.

Confessing the sinfulness of sin also means confessing that we have lived our whole lives in disobedience to God.

“From our youth till this day,” the Scripture says, “we have not obeyed the LORD our God” (v. 25c).

True repentance includes repenting for past sins as well as present sins.

Repentance is not easy, but the words of this confession give comfort because

they teach us that God is willing to forgive even the vilest sins.

His invitation to return to him is given to everyone …

Ryken, P. G. (2001). Jeremiah and Lamentations: from sorrow to hope (p. 70). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

even those who have murdered their own children.

"Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. ...” ()

As comprehensive as Israel’s confession was, it was inadequate.

It recognized both the holiness of God and the sinfulness of sin.

And yet, shockingly, it was not true repentance!

True repentance requires more than just a prayer of repentance.

True confession must give something more than lip service to our rebellion against God.

It must be repentance in deed as well as in word. God has heard Israel’s prayer of confession,

but he has heard it all before (cf. 3:10), and sometimes it has been a sham.

This time he warns His people to follow through.

God’s warning includes some advice about spiritual agriculture. "For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns.” ()

Most Christians are content with the size of their present obedience to God.

That obedience is about the size of a hanging basket, or maybe a window box, or perhaps even a small garden plot in town.

But God wants his people to break new ground in their obedience.

In other words, God wants you to do more than just tend the little garden you keep planting year after year.

He wants you to do some real farming.

It is time to put away your hoe and your shovel.

Get the John Deere out of the barn, hitch up the plow, go out into the fields, and break up the rocky soil of your heart.

This is what James is talking about when he says "Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” ()

All this showeth the need of renewing repentance before the hearing the word;

that sin being dispossessed, there may be room for the entrance of grace.

Obnoxious weeds are apt to grow again in the best of minds.

The roots of sin remain but we’re not letting them grow and sprout!

Let’s turn to . Read the description in vv1-15.

They are chided for praying to God with hands full of blood (v15)!

To come into the presence of God still reeking from sin is to dare Him to His face!

Flip over to as we think of James’s words, “ridding yourselves”.

Remember last week it was spoken of as discarding a rotten and filthy garment.

Our sin is to be left with an utter detestation. "Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth.” ()

Our sin is an abomination to God. Do you every wonder why we don’t see it as that big of a deal?

We sort of have faint resistance to it but not anger and indignation!

“ridding yourselves of “all” moral filth.

We’re not laying sin in part only but all sin!

Like Peter says, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.” ()

"I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way.” ()

When we hate sin as sin, we hate all sin.

The least sin is dangerous, and in its own nature deadly and destructive.

The least sins may undo you.

You know what Christ speaketh of a little leaven.

Do not neglect the least sins.

Pray as Elihu mentions: "Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.”” ()

Ridding ourselves from “all moral filth”.

All sin is filthy. It defaces the image of God.

So you find phrases like this in Scripture:"Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one!” () "What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” ()

Not things that are pure in the sight of men.

Duties are described as dung because iniquity is found in them: "although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: "circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; "regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. "But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. "More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ” ()

"“Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it.” ()

Their festival sacrifices (commanded by God) were unacceptable to God because of their sin!

It is “the LORD our God,” the God with whom we have a personal relationship.

Ryken, P. G. (2001). Jeremiah and Lamentations: from sorrow to hope (p. 68). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2001). Jeremiah and Lamentations: from sorrow to hope (p. 68). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2001). Jeremiah and Lamentations: from sorrow to hope (p. 68). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.