DOERS OF GOD'S WORD

“A new rabbi comes to a well-established congregation. Every week on the Sabbath, a fight erupts during the service. When it comes time to recite the Shema prayer, half of the congregation stands and the other half sits. The half who stand say, "Of course we stand for the Shema. It’s the credo of Judaism. Throughout history, thousands of Jews have died with the words of the Shema on their lips." The half who remain seated say, "No. According to the Shulchan Aruch (the code of Jewish law), if you are seated when you get to the Shema you remain seated."

The people who are standing yell at the people who are sitting, "Stand up!" while the people who are sitting yell at the people who are standing, "Sit down!" It’s destroying the whole decorum of the service, and driving the new rabbi crazy. Finally, it’s brought to the rabbi’s attention that at a nearby home for the aged is a 98-year-old man who was a founding member of the congregation. So, in accordance with Talmudic tradition, the rabbi appoints a delegation of three, one who stands for the Shema, one who sits, and the rabbi himself, to go interview the man. They enter his room, and the man who stands for the Shema rushes over to the old man and says, "Wasn’t it the tradition in our synagogue to stand for the Shema?"

"No," the old man answers in a weak voice. "That wasn’t the tradition."

The other man jumps in excitedly. "Wasn’t it the tradition in our synagogue to sit for the Shema?"

"No," the old man says. "That wasn’t the tradition."

At this point, the rabbi cannot control himself. He cuts in angrily. "I don’t care what the tradition was! Just tell them one or the other. Do you know what goes on in services every week — the people who are standing yell at the people who are sitting, the people who are sitting yell at the people who are standing—"

"That was the tradition," the old man says.”

Rabbi Zauderer goes on to say:

This is a joke, of course, but, to a great extent, it reflects the reality of Jewish life in our recent history. It’s all been said before — how Jews tend to fight with each other, especially with regard to matters religious, and how they establish one breakaway synagogue after another.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new for our people. We have been going at each other’s throats since time immemorial. Even in the desert, when the Jewish people were being led by Moses into the Promised Land, there were Jews grumbling about this thing or the other.

I can just imagine Irving and his wife, Sophie, sitting on beach chairs in the Sinai desert during one of the encampments, complaining about the weather, "Sophie, what’s the deal with that Moses — every miracle he can pull off, but he can’t get us central air-conditioning?!"

"You’re right, Irving, and the food...oy, such food I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. The manna tastes horrible, and they’re such small portions, too!"[1]

There is a point to this.

The book of James is the earliest book of the New Testament, written perhaps within a few years of the ascension of our Lord. The original audience was Messianic Jews. They were transitioning from the Dispensation of the Mosaic Covenant and the Law of Moses to the Dispensation of the New Covenant and the Law of Messiah. This was uncharted territory theologically and practically. No other New Testament books were available to give them guidance. Certainly they heard about Philip’s evangelization of Samaria; many Samaritans believed in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit without converting to Judaism (Acts 8). What then did this mean for Judaism? For centuries non-Jews who wanted to follow God needed to convert to Judaism and come under the Mosaic Law. Was that no longer the case? And if so, what laws and rituals might not apply any longer to Messianic Jews? If Peter had his vision of unclean foods declared clean by this time (Acts 10) did that mean Jewish believers no longer needed to keep a kosher kitchen? But eating kosher was to be Jewish! Jewish believers faced a very different world with overwhelming challenges. Which things in their lives were traditions they were free to keep and which things were rituals and laws they were to obey under the Law of Messiah? No doubt, in some ways, their new found faith felt like an attack on their Jewishness.

As we read James 1:19-21, picture a group of 20-30 Jewish men and women gathered in a home listening to the reading of Scripture. They have the Hebrew Scriptures and James’ letter. It was very unlikely they had personal copies of the Scriptures. So when these believers met together they would listen to God’s Word as it was read.

Knowing his Jewish brothers and sisters and their propensity to argue, James wrote the following instructions beginning in verse 19…

James 1:19–21 ESV

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

What is the point of James 1:19-21? You need to receive God’s Word, not argue about it!

You Need to Receive God’s Word, Not Argue About It!

James 1:19–21 ESV

What is one of the main purposes for studying God’s Word? To be changed by it. Arguing about what it says or what it means may be a really fun sport, but if that’s all we do with God’s Word we’re missing the point entirely. This was James’ concern for his people. We don’t have a problem in our Sunday morning studies with arguing and getting angry about the Word. But it can and does happen in some of our mid-week Bible studies. We definitely encourage questions and discussions in our studies, but at the end of the day our commitment must be to apply God’s Word so that we’re changed by it.

Instead of arguing about God’s Word, James admonishes his people to receive it. To receive God’s Word means to accept that it is true.

Why do we need to receive the Word?

Because our souls still need to be saved.

To save means to deliver.

If we are already Christians, as were the original readers of James, from what, then, do our souls need to be delivered?

Christians still need to be delivered from the practice of sin.

James 1:19–21 ESV

By faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead, we have been saved from the penalty of sin - we have been delivered from the Great White Throne Judgment and Lake of Fire. This is justification salvation.

Justification Salvation = delivered from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification Salvation = delivered from the practice of sin.

Now, as Christians, we are undergoing the second aspect of our salvation and that is the process of being saved from the practice of sin. This is sanctification salvation.

James refers to this sin from which we need to be delivered, as filthiness and wickedness.

If we receive God’s Word and do what it tells us to do, we will be delivered from sinful attitudes and habits to live righteous, fruitful lives for God.

In the next paragraph James emphasizes that it is not enough to hear and know what the Scriptures teach. There are plenty of Christians who know the Bible, but their lives are a mess. The missing component is obedience. Knowledge without obedience most often produces arrogant, self-righteous Christians.

God’s Word can only transform us if we obey it.

James 1:22–25 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

We learn from James 1:22-25 that just hearing God’s Word will not deliver me from the practice of sin, I must act on it.

Just Hearing God’s Word Will Not Deliver Me, I Must Act On It

James 1:22–25 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Looking intently in a mirror reveals flaws that need fixing. For men its stubble, nose hairs, greasy forehead, bed head. For women its…(I’m not going there). A mirror shows us what needs fixing on our face. God’s Word shows us what needs fixing in our hearts and hands.

A major reason we fail to act on God’s Word is because we fail to develop a practical plan.

Let’s say you are convicted by Ephesians 4:29.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

You know you could do a lot better with what comes out of your mouth. How do you move from where you are to one whose speech “is good for building up” and “gives grace to those who hear.”?

Illustration: Memorize Ephesians 4:29 / involve others - prayer / involve others - accountability jar / set goals - thank you for dinner, thank you for clean laundry / compliment / men - make time to sit, listen and affirm wife.

The saying goes, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”

James 1:26-27 gives us what God is after.

James 1:26–27 ESV

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:26-27 teaches us that God’s goal is to make us good people who do good to others.

God’s Goal is to Make Us Good People Who Do Good To Others

James 1:26–27 ESV

No matter how knowledgeable, a Christian with an out of control tongue is not spiritually mature. James has in mind those who want to debate and argue over the Scriptures read in the meeting of the church as described in verse 19. Such a person sees themselves as a guardian of the faith when, in fact, they misrepresent it.

At the end of the day, what is God’s goal for our lives? To transform us to become like Jesus in character and conduct. Jesus was unstained by the world, that is, He was morally pure. Jesus cared for orphans and widows, that is, He cared for others without expectation of return.

To be a person of good moral character who selflessly does good to others is the best life we can have. Who can argue with that?

What Do We Learn From James 1:19-27?

We Christians still need to be delivered from the practice of sin.

If we receive and do God’s Word, it will deliver us, but to do God’s Word takes a plan.

God’s goal is to make us good people who do good to others.

Doers of God’s Word

[1] http://www.tfdixie.com/parshat/korach/013.htm

Related Media

Related Sermons