James 1:19-21

Listen, Receive, and Obey

Introduction

Good morning; please take out your Bibles and turn with me to the book of James, chapter 1

It is good to be back with you studying through this often neglected epistle of the New Testament

Now I know last week brother Brandon preached to you verses 9-11 and chapter 5:1-6, so in order to orient ourselves for the text this morning, lets recall what brother Matt preached two weeks ago on verses 16-18.

Those verses tell us that every single good gift comes directly from God

That means food, clothing and provision; it means trials, tribulations and persecution that draw us closer to him and shape us into the image of Christ; and ultimately it means salvation itself.

All of this, and especially salvation, is given by his own choice, as he wills

And he does not change; he is the sure and steady anchor whom we can trust, and who keeps everyone of his promises.

So we want to hold these truths in our minds as we examine verses 19-21 this morning, because they bear special significance on what James says in these verses here this morning

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PRAYER

Father, we pray that you would receive our praises to you this morning.

I pray that every person would be resolved in his own heart to direct his full, unwavering attention to you as we look to your Word in hope of knowing you and glorifying you more in our lives.

Holy Spirit, grant us understanding; remove from us any worldly distraction that we may have carried to this place and prepare our hearts to receive from you this morning, through your Word.

Above all, may you be glorified in us, and we in you, to the praise of your glorious grace.

All these things we ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Overview

Now, I told you that the previous few verses were important for today’s message, particularly verse 18, so lets begin with that.

James 1:18 CSB

18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

So those whom God has given birth by the word of truth, that is who James is addressing here, which is why it is significant for us

The commands of 19-21 are intended for everyone who is a born-again Christian, everyone who is a true member of the body of Christ

So when James says in verse 19, “Everyone should be” or “Let every person be,” he is addressing every person in the church

That matters because we must see that this text, though universally true, cannot be yielded against unregenerate man and used to try to make them better behaving sinners.

This is the unfortunate tendency in the church sometimes: we forget that apart from God’s unfathomable grace in our lives, we are but degenerate, immoral, God-hating sinners just like the world.

So if we take this and try to force its commands upon unbelievers apart from the gospel, then we have become Pharisees

This text is for the Christian; so we must come to it in humility and see that the only hope we have of receiving it and rightly applying it is because God has given us new birth, not as a reward, but as a free, undeserved gift.

this mindset then ought to change how we see the world, and move us from judgment to compassion since those who are “forgive little, love little,” but those who are forgiven of much also love much.

SERMON THESIS

Now lets press into verses 19-21 and begin by simply stating the overall point of the section: Gospel salvation produces gospel obedience.

In our verses here, James addresses three areas of obedience; listening, speaking, and anger

But remember, he isn’t writing this in a vacuum; there is a whole world going on around these people James is writing to

These are Jewish Christians outside of Jerusalem who have been spread out over the land because of Roman persecution

At the same time, there were sharp divisions between the rich and the poor, which led to the rise of the Zealots, who wanted to overthrow Roman rule, as well as others who were using force and violence against their persecutors

Some of these folks were no-doubt a part of James’s audience, but to these troubled and afflicted people he writes:

James 1:19–21 CSB

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 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.

James 1:19–20 CSB

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

These people had bigger issues than us, yet James tells them this; thats radical.

Yet, it isn’t unique; Jesus said in :

Matthew 5:11 CSB

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.

Matthew 5:11–12 CSB

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

In light of that, verse 20 makes more sense: human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness because it does not represent Christ

He came as the suffering servant, not a militant king, and the charge of the Christian is to follow him…thus our reward and blessing comes through patient endurance, not angry assertion of force

LOCAL CONTEXT

Now if you remember in , Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and this actually happened at the hand of the Romans in 70 A.D., 40 years after Jesus’s resurrection.

What precipitated that event was largely the disobedience of the Jews who were angry with Roman rule, but many Jewish Christians shared similar sentiments

Yet James, in his wisdom, knew what would be the result of such angry acts of disobedience…destruction

So his Spirit-prompted command is to be humble!

think not more of yourself than you ought

instead, be quick to listen rather than quick to speak and anger!

Why? Because hasty speech and anger do not represent God, and that is the primary role of the Christian

Shouldn’t those who know and love him, and are known and loved BY him, represent him well as NEW CREATURES (2. Cor. 5:17)

That is the goal of James’s writing; eager listening, reserved speech, and subdued anger are really just means to an end...

WHAT IT MEANS FOR US

Think about it this way:

If the end goal in this life was for the church to take over the world, to rule in a place of power, then the vocal, and even angry, approach would make sense

BUT that is not the end…that way of thinking is the mistake that the Jews made up to Jesus’ time, and it is the mistake the Roman Catholic Church has made since

Both groups thought that the people of God are to rule the earth in this life…but that is not the case

We are to walk as sheep among wolves; for that is what our Lord did, and it is his example we look to

And we rejoice in the sufferings of such a life because our hope is in the resurrection of the body to life in the New Earth

If we share in Jesus’ sufferings, and we share in his death, then the Bible tells us that we will share in a resurrection just like his; that is why Christ is our living hope!

He came and bore our sins upon his own body, and purchased our reward by his blood, so that we may share in all that is his.

Why then should we think that small, temporary disadvantage is worth our worry, when an eternity of glory awaits us?…that is James’s position

VERSE 19 “Understand”

Look with me, if you would, at verse 19: the first word in the Greek manuscripts is the word translated “understand this” or “know this”

this is a command James is giving; not just a suggestion.

I like the rendering of “understand” rather than “know,” though both are appropriate, because it points beyond simple knowledge, and that is the idea here

I can know that I am supposed to change the oil in my vehicle without understanding WHY I need to do that

In the same way, James is calling for understanding here

Understanding is greater than knowledge; it moves towards wisdom

which is knowledge righty understood and rightly applied

and if you recall back in verse 5, James said if you lack wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all without reproach

But zoom out and see James’s approach; he isn’t appealing to emotions or trying to manipulate the will of these Christians

What we see in this is James’s pastoral sensibilities; he is

No, he is going through the mind to reach the heart;

That is what biblical preaching does, because it is what the Bible does

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

If the heart is the most deceitful thing on the planet, then the last thing we want to do is to try to reason with it, for it can’t be trusted

Yet, a changed heart is ultimately our goal, since it is at the core of our corruption

Romans 12:2 CSB

2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

I hope I am painting this picture well; the heart, our inner most being is absolutely important, but we don’t start there.

Instead, our heart is reached through our minds, so that our minds become renewed by the Word of God, which in turn transforms the whole man

That is James’s intent here as he provides instruction on living out the Christian life

VERSE 19 “My dear brothers and sisters” or “my beloved brethren”

The address here once again shows the author’s pastoral care:

He is writing to build up

But this also doesn’t preclude

VERSE 19 Exposition

So to these Christians whom he loves very much, James gives another command in verse 19: “Everyone should be”

so the next three thing mentioned all fall under that command “to be”

Notice that this charge focuses not just on action, but on character.

You can perform an action that is out of character; it doesn’t reflect who you truly are

But James goes beyond mere action; he is saying “may your actions proceed from who you really are”

which, recalling verse 18, is one who has been born again, and according to verse 21, has received the implanted word.

The gospel results in a changed person

This is actually the 10th command to this point in James, but remember we said that he isn’t being original here;

Jesus said every one of these things in one way or another

What that means is that every one of these commands is rooted in the gospel

Basically, “if you say you are born again, do these things, be these things...”

Quick to listen

The first thing James says we should be is “quick to listen”

The Bible puts a lot of emphasis on listening and hearing, yet I would say it is one of our greatest weaknesses

In our society everyone wants to be heard, but no one wants to listen

13 times in the book of Proverbs, listening is mentioned as a wise and noble thing

Proverbs 1:5 CSB

5 let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance—

One cannot discern without careful listening

in Revelation the same Greek word is used by Jesus in commanding the churches to listen to his words and heed them.

You have heard the saying that God gave you two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you talk

Its never quite stated that way in the Bible, but I think it does represent the truth that we see here

Jesus said, “whatever you wish others to do to you, so do to them”

If we desire to be heard, then we ought to be willing to listen

Beyond that, as James says, we ought to be QUICK to listen

FIRSTLY, to the the Word of God,

SECONDLY, to the leading of God,

THIRDLY, to others…all are important in the walk of the redeemed!

So then the Word asks; is your first reaction when someone approaches you, or when you hear something controversial, or offensive, to immediately respond?

Jesus said the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart

But the heart is desperately sick; so if we speak from the emotion of a heart that is not submitted to God and his Word, we are already off to a bad start.

When we are quick to give a response, to speak out, our motive is almost never to build up and bring about good

So says,

Proverbs 12:18 CSB

18 There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

It is interesting that the phrase used there is “the tongue of the wise”

evidently Godly wisdom is displayed in those who tame the tongue and are slow to speak

in that way it is a measure of Christian maturity to see how quickly one rushes to use their words

For one who knows his own sinfulness and the mercy of Christ will surely consider these thing before addressing another, whether within the church, or without.

Hearing the Word

So being quick to listen to others is a fruit of the gospel, but what about being quick to listen to the gospel itself?

7 times in the synoptic gospels when explaining the gospel through parables, Jesus uses the command, “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

It is a command to hear the gospel, to receive it

so James says, be quick to listen, both to your neighbor and to the word of God

for how can you rightly listen to your neighbor and understand him if you do not listen to and understand the Word of God? YOU CAN’T

So we must have an eagerness toward this Word

We must be anxious to run to it and have ears to hear what Jesus says to his Church AND, here is the key, TO CONFORM TO IT!

For no true Christian has ever lived out his life apart from this Word and remained faithful.

Romans 10:14–17 CSB

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 16 But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

So then ask yourself, are you quick to listen?

Slow to speak

The next part of the command in verse 19 is to “be slow to speak”

This is the logical addition to “quick to listen”

We don’t have to spend too much time on this because it goes right along with what has already been said.

But you have heard the expression “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” right?

There can be some positive teaching from that, but think about it this way:

Why is the wheel squeaky? because it is not functioning as it should...

Take for example the church in Corinth; that was a very squeaky wheel, with all sorts of problems, and Paul had to address them

Here in this text, James has a similar think in mind, not just against complaining or arguing, but against all hasty speech

One who is quick to put forth their words is one who is not functioning properly

Most all of us would agree that physical acts of violence are unacceptable, but what about violent acts of the tongue?

wars in history

Adolf hitler

So then, we who would condemn such violence, would we also condemn the speech that incites it?

Jesus made clear that what comes out of our mouth is but a testament to what is in our heart

actions manifest our heart

God sees your true self

What does he see in you? if you are like me, he sees a sinner; a lustful, deceitful, prideful sinner

Thats what the Bible says we are

Experience tells me that is right

This is why the Christian life is a paradox; God by his Spirit comes and makes his dwelling in the hearts of wicked, sinful human beings…and he calls us redeemed

this is remarkably similar to Isaiah’s experience in

We come into the presence of God through his regeneration of our hearts, which allows us to see him for who he is; HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, perfect and all-powerful majestic king

But it also allows us to see ourselves for who we are; sinner, sinner, sinner, imperfect and powerless, deserving only judgment

that is the gospel experience that joins us to Isaiah that we may say “woe is me! I am undone by the gospel and the knowledge of who God is...”

But a salvation experience also produces the knowledge of the atonement, that our sins are paid for, just like Isaiah experienced

coincidentally, the symbolism for the atonement used in was that a burning coal was touched TO HIS LIPS

God ceremonially cleansed that part of Isaiah where his inward sin made outward manifestation

So then Isaiah, having become awestruck by the knowledge of God, and humbled at himself in light of who God was, was a changed man

In the same way, Christians are changed people, whose speech should reflect such a change

Verse 19b-20 Exposition

Slow to anger

What we have said so far points right to this 3rd part of the command from James

James address of listening, speaking, and anger help us to see the relationship of the three

Those who listened are inclined to understand, which takes away anger

Those who are slow to speak prevent from stirring up anger with their words

But the opposite is true; lack of understanding leads to anger

If we can attempt to put away our biases for a moment, lets consider the anger in our world…does it not often come from a lack of understanding?

Regardless of politics and religion, look at the divisions in our world; generally each side doesn’t understand the other

They may hear each other, but they don’t truly listen, which means they don’t understand, which then leads to anger

We even do that in the church

Focus on individual wants rather than kingdom minded listening

But this does not accomplish the righteousness of God

Human anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God

What are the people of God to represent? God’s righteousness

James associates righteousness with peace (3:18) and non-resistance (5:7)

And he is writing to an afflicted people!

But we are to not be quick to anger because rash anger does not represent righteousness, not does it accomplish God’s righteous purposes, which is righteousness in his people

Now, it is possible to be angry and not sin; Paul says that in Ephesians, but consider most all cases when you are angry

What are your motivations in unleashing your anger? Is it to help a situation? To improve a relationship? To build up? NO

99% of the time, you act on your anger to make yourself feel better. Its sinful human nature.

And it is pride, yet James says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (4:6)

Righteousness of God

This righteousness to be accomplished is not the righteousness applied to us through justification that Paul talks about.

That is related, but James is talking about the righteous works produced by God’s supernatural work in salvation

Changed people live changed lives, and though we will continually stumble and fall, those who have seen the beauty of Christ strive to be like him

That means submitting to him, DENYING ourselves, and striving to bear the fruit of God’s righteousness

Our anger does not change hearts; neither our own nor the hearts of others, and that is the bottom line.

God brings forth the fruit of his own will, through the implanted word

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