The lost art of listening
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Growing up, I loved legos. Every year that would be on the top of my list for birthday and Christmas gifts. To this day, if I’m honest I still love legos and the nearly endless possibilities for creativity. Well one Christmas, my parents asked what we wanted and I mentioned a certain lego set that I really wanted. Christmas morning came, and my sister and I sat down and are surveying the gifts that we were going to open, and I realize that none of the presents that have my name on it seem to fit the size of box that this particular lego set or really any lego set could be inside. I start to panic a little and reassure myself that maybe my parents just didn’t bring it out yet…well we start to open up presents and I have no recollection of what I opened up first other than it was NOT something that I would have chosen. In fact it seemed much more like something my sister would have wanted. It got stranger though because then when my sister opened her first gift it wasn’t legos but it was something else that I really wanted. After a few more gifts the ruse put on by my parents was finally pieced together by my sister and I as we figured out that they had switched all the tags and all my sisters gifts were in fact for me. Plus my coveted lego set was in fact that. I literally spend the remainder of the day working on this BIG set that I had received because I loved it and wanted nothing more than to enjoy it.
In contrast to legos, I can think of several other gifts that I have received over the years that did not evoke quite the same level of excitement or reaction. Gifts that I will not specify because I’m unsure who is watching, but largely ended up collecting dust on a shelf, being thrown into an used drawer, or even being regifted or donated elsewhere. How we receive what has been given says much about the value we place on the gift and I think this is especially true in light of the gift of our salvation and the ongoing ministries of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. As we dig into our passage this morning, I invite you to turn to James 1:19-21 and join me in praying that we be led by the Holy Spirit to what is true and that our words, our conduct, and are very character would be transformed as we receive what God has for us.
“Know this”
· Very unique Greek word that can either be an indicative or imperative
· Most translations believe this to be a command but regardless, there is a call, an emphasis that we would pay attention, we would be mindful of what is going to be said.
· When I was at community college, I took several history classes, not so much because of my interest in history but more so because they were easy classes. One thing our professor would always do, is he would very clearly say, “Now this will be on the exam…” and when those words were spoken, we knew then it was time to take notes and take our studies slightly more serious.
· I’m not at all implying that what James is saying in these three verses is any more important or inspired than the rest of his letter, but he does want us to listen up to what he is about to say.
Transition
I’m normally resistant to reversing the order in which we work through a passage of Scripture, but as I think you will see these three verses are heading in a certain direction and the culmination, the main plea that James, the author who wrote this under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, is getting at is that we would receive the Word with meekness because it is able to save our souls. My hope is to raise the awareness of why this is true, how we can do this, and what makes it so important SO THAT we then can go back to verses 19-20 and see what hinders from obeying what James is calling us to.
Receive the implanted Word
· “Receive”
-Who is to receive?
-James is writing to the Jews dispersed around that region
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
-He is writing to brothers and sisters who have faith in Christ
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
-He writing to brothers and sisters and encouraging them to be patient until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
-In summary these are Jewish men and women who have already professed faith in Jesus Christ. Certainly, there could be those amongst them who were not actually followers of Jesus, who not put their trust in the Gospel, but contextually that is not the primary audience we should have in mind as we read this.
-Receive, take hold of, believe, or welcome the implanted Word
· “meekness”
-Gentleness, humility
-Appropriate contrast to the anger/pride reflected in the warning of verses 19-20
-Speaks to the value understood by what the Word is and the fact it has been implanted within us.
-“I can’t accept this…”
· “implanted Word”
- Implanted, innate, inbred, engrafted
- One implies an action necessitating the work of another
- One implies a natural ability that one possesses intrinsically
- This distinction is very important, but fortunately context helps greatly
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
As one commentator rightly described: “The command to receive the implanted word, then, is not a command to be converted (‘receive the word’ means this elsewhere in the New Testament), but to accept its precepts as binding and to seek to live by them. Christians who have truly been ‘born again’ (v. 18) demonstrate that the word has transformed them by their humble acceptance of that word as their authority and guide for life.”
· What is the promise here?
-Based off who James is writing to, we understand that YES it is the implanted Word that does save our souls, but rather what we the believer are called to in this passage is to accept the Word of God as our daily guide and authority that will see us through our entirety here on earth and it this glorious gift implanted within us that will save our souls in the future sense.
What gets in the way of us receiving the Word?
· Failure to listen
- Scriptural theme
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
Cease to hear instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
-Positive example: Samuel and Eli (1 Samuel 3)
-Reasons why:
-We don’t find it necessary
-We prioritize something or someone else
- It’s easier not to
- We’re more focused on giving advice or solving the problem
- Lost art (mapquest, cursive, letter writing)
Lessons in listening:
1. Good listening takes time
-Not everyone gets to the most important part immediately and if we zone out or lose interest chances are we will fail to truly understand. -
“We need to hear the whole train of thought, all the way to the caboose, before starting across the tracks.”
2. Good listening shows our love for others
- While we should be wary of some of his theological assertions, Bonhoeffer is helpful in describing the devastation that comes from half-eared listening when he says, “It despises the brother and is only waiting for a chance to speak and thus get rid of the other person.” In contrast Bonhoeffer goes on and writes, “Just as love to God begins with listening to his Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.”
3. Good listening asks discerning questions
- It is rare to truly understand the heart of an issue without additional clarifications. Often, we avoid asking necessary questions due to a lack of interest or urgency in time constraints. When we do this, we neglect the ministry that IS listening.
4. Good listening reflects our relationship with God
- “He who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life. . . . Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.” Bonhoeffer
· Urgency to speak
- Scriptural theme
When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Job and his friends
- King David in conversation with Nathan (2 Samuel 12)
- Positive example of Jesus:
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Assess why this is
- Pride
- We believe we know and we believe our opinion is so valuable and will solve the problem that it MUST be shared immediately
- Lack of compassion
Negative example: Shouting at kids before understanding the whole picture
· Inappropriate anger
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
- Moses striking the rock twice: Numbers 20
What is the anger of man?
- Tim Keller
“In its uncorrupted origin anger is actually a form of love”
We get angry because what we love feels threatened
“What am I loving so much right now that my heart is moved to feel angry?”
The determining factor between the anger of man and righteous anger has to do with the object of our love and how we feel it is being threatened
When we have inordinate affections the anger of man will surface
§ Example of FB
o What is the righteousness of God?
o INCOMPATIBILITY
· Lingering Filthiness
Put away:
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
o Clothing imagery.
o Dog poop all over shirt and could not wait to get it off me.
§ I didn’t want to smell it, see it, or touch it
§ It could not be near me again until it was clean
o Moral impurity.
o Sin is vile and should be viewed and treated as such.
· Rampant wickedness
o KJV translation
o Abundant, numerous
o Sin takes many forms and is very dangerous
o We might put off one form only to be confronted with another, but all will wage war against us in trying to hinder our reception of the implanted word