God’s Advice for His Instruction Manual

Introduction|

Attention:

We all have purchased something that “requires some assembly.” When we first moved into the parsonage, my wife bought a brand new TV stand that required “some” assembly. I opened the box and started assembling the TV stand without looking at the instructions. Several hours later, along with help from my brother, we were still trying to put this TV Stand together and figure out where these “extra parts” go. At this point, my wife humbled asked if I was following the instructions because we were struggling to assemble this TV stand. In my pride, I had glanced at the directions only for a moment without applying them to the assembly process.

Need Element:

In most of our lives, we treat the Bible as a set of instructions. We read/hear the Bible, but we do not apply it our life. This response to the word leads to living a defeated Christian walk. Jesus taught his disciples that a defining mark of genuine faith was obedience to his word (). In our time together, I want to show you how God wants you to respond to His word.

Background:

James builds on the fact that God used the Gospel to point us to salvation in Jesus Christ (). He expands upon this idea by discussing the proper response to the Word of God and the gospel.

Textual Idea:

James urges his audience to respond to the Word with openness and obedience.

Big Idea:

God wants us to respond to his Word.

Interrogative:

How should we respond to the Word?

Outline|

I. We should respond to the word with an open heart (vv. 19-21)

Explanation:

Responding to the gospel requires an attentive heart. In verse 19, James seeks to gather the attention of his audience. James says: “my beloved brethren, you must know this. . .” He wants them to know that “everyman must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

First, an open heart is a receptive heart (vv. 19-20).

When the eternal truth of the gospel confronts us, an open heart is quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. As a believer, you ought to be ready to listen to the word. Moreover, you ought to be hesitant to speak a word against the word. Finally, you ought to be slow to respond with anger towards the gospel. The gospel, by its very nature, is confrontational. It confronts our sinfulness and selfishness. James provides us with the reason for not responding with anger towards the gospel—“for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God” (vv. 20). The phrase righteousness of God carries the idea of the righteousness that God desires from his children. On the contrary, an open heart manifests the righteousness that God desires and deserves by receiving the correction of God.

Secondly, an open heart is a responsive heart (vv. 21).

Based upon the fact that everyone ought to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, James says: “lay aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word” (, KJV). You might say it this way: rid yourselves of all uncleanliness and the abundance of wickedness and receive with humility the implanted word” (Greek). A responsive hearts towards the word respond in two ways.

First, a responsive heart removes moral filth and evil vices—“lay aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.”

Just as you physically lay aside filthy clothes, you ought to spiritually put aside those things that cause you to become spiritually unclean.

Secondly, a responsive heart receives the word with meekness—“receive with meekness the engrafted word.”

The word receive suggests being open to something by accepting it. How should we accept the message of the gospel: with humility and meekness. We are to take the engrafted word (the message of the gospel) because it is able “to save our soul.” The gospel is “able to sustain and mature us from the beginning of our relationship with Christ to the [completion] of [our] salvation [through death or the return of Christ].”

Illustration:

A famous naturalist, walking through a city park with a friend, said suddenly, “Did you hear that cricket?” “No,” his friend replied, “I heard nothing. How could you possibly have heard a cricket with all of this roar of traffic enveloping us?” Said the naturalist, “You hear what you train yourself to hear. Watch!” He pulled some coins from his pocket and threw them on the sidewalk. Instantly, several passersby slapped their pockets and looked to see if they had dropped some money.

Argumentation:

Why do we need to have an open heart?

Without an open heart, you run the risk of developing a close and hard heart towards the Lord and His word like Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus.

Application:

Three points of application emerge from this text: 1) When confronted by the gospel, we should examine our hearts instead of responding with anger towards the gospel; 2) When the gospel convicts us, we should ask God to forgive us and help us to live out the gospel; and 3) When the gospel confronts and convicts us, we should respond to the gospel with humility and meekness. Jesus describes four types of hearts: 1) the hard heart which does not understand or receive the Word and does not produce any fruit; 2) the shallow heart which was very emotional but had no depth and does not produce any fruit; 3) the crowded heart which lacks repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the Word; and 4) the fruitful heart which received the Word, allowed it to take root, and produced a harvest of fruit.

II. We should respond to the word with an obedient heart (vv. 22-25)

Explanation:

An attentive heart to the word ought to produce an active heart to the truths of the Scripture. Thus, an open heart to the gospel ought to create an obedient heart to the gospel. James says: “you must be doers of the word and not just hears of the word” (, Greek). Hearing leads to heeding!

I want you to notice the description of the one who hears the word but doesn’t apply the word (vv. 23-24).

He is like a man “who considers his natural face in a mirror.” In the first-century, mirrors were quite different from our modern glass mirrors. During James’ day, mirrors were made of polished silver, bronze, or copper. Thus, they produced “dim and warped reflections.” While it would create a good impression, one couldn’t “simply glance at such a mirror and learn much.” Therefore, the one who does not practice the word: “considers himself and departs and immediately forgets what sort of man he was.” The idea is that the image didn’t produce a lasting impact on the viewer!

I also want you to notice the description of the one who hears and heeds the word (vv. 25).

James says: “the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein does not become a forgetful hearer but a doer of it” (, Greek). The mirror is the word of God and the Gospel. When we read the Bible, it enables us to “see. . . our very souls.” When we continually obey and apply the word, we will act upon the truths of the word—“a doer who acts” (, ESV). The one who hears and heeds God’s word “will be blessed in all of his acts.” God always blesses obedience to the word!

Illustration:

Jesus illustrates this truth in His sermon on the Mount.

Jesus says: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (, ESV)

Argumentation:

Why should we obey God’s Word?

First, obeying the word enables us to endure the storms of life—“the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house.” Secondly, obeying the word helps us to experience the blessings of God—“this man will be blessed in all of his doing.”

Application:

As we consider this passage, two truths emerge for our lives.

First, we must apply ourselves to knowing the word of God and the gospel.

Knowing the word involves immersing ourselves into the word of God by reading and studying it. It has been said that you must “apply yourself to the Word so you may be able to apply the Word to your life.” As believers, we must get into the word until the word gets into us. Knowing the word also involves hearing it preached with authority and accuracy. When you come to church, you ought to pay attention and take notes on the sermon.

Secondly, we must apply ourselves to obeying the word of God and the gospel.

Weekly, we come in contact with tons of information. We hear this information but do not listen to the information. Applying the word takes listening to the word and using it to our lives.

Conclusion/Application|

Reiteration:

God wants us to respond to his word. First, we learned that we should respond to the word with an open heart. Secondly, we discovered we should react to the word with an obedient heart!

Action:

This passage confronts our church because we have become hearers of the word but not doers of the word!

We have heard messages about sharing our faith for years, but we don’t apply it to our lives. Our church isn’t growing because we are not obeying and going! If that statement offends you or makes you mad, it might be God confronting and convicting you about your lack of obedience. I know God confronted and convicted me in my study this week! As I said last week, we want to blame someone else instead of blaming ourselves. Oh, we are hearing but not applying. We can have the best programs and projects in Kingsport, but if we are not obedient to the Great Commission, our church will never grow. Well, I don’t know what to do to grow our church. I want to give you three things: 1) you tell other people about what Christ has done for you; 2) you start inviting people to church regularly; and 3) you can begin praying for opportunities and church services. If we become obedient to Christ, we will be blessed in all our doing!

This passage confronts us because we have become hearers of the word but not doers of the word.

We hear messages on fleeing temptation, rejoicing in trials, spending time in prayer, attending church, giving with a generous and gracious heart, making disciples that make disciples, forsaking gossip, removing a critical spirit, contending for the faith, rejoicing in trials or pursuing wisdom. We do not apply those principles to our life. Usually, we think about some else that needs that message more than we need it. Thus, we ignore the truth that God has for us because we are more focused on some else. When you come to church, we should begin with an open heart to the word. When we obey the word, we will be blessed in all of our doing!

Appeal:

If God has spoken to your heart, I want to invite you to respond to him this morning. Maybe, you have a problem with having an open heart? Would you ask the Lord to open your heart to receive and respond to the gospel? Maybe, you struggle with obeying the word. If you are struggling with being obedient, I want you to invite you to apply every message to your heart and life!