James 1:19-27

We are continuing our study through the book of James. We are in our third installment. If you have missed the first two, I encourage you to go to our website at newlifecorning.org and get caught up.

As I mentioned before, I encourage to read through the book of James as we go through this series. I believe God will encourage you, challenge you, and if applied, change you as we go through it.

Let’s dive into the Word today and see what God has for us. Please stand with me as we read the Word of God.

James 1:19–25 NASB95

19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Prayer

Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

It is important to remember that anytime we read the words “brethren” it is referring to the church. James is shifting from instructions about life’s difficulties to practical godly living. In other words, James is saying we are going to go through trials, but here is how you are to live out your faith regardless if you face a trial or not.

So let’s break this down and see how we as Christians are to walk out our faith.

James 1:19–22 NASB95

James opens up this practical living by telling followers of Christ to be quick to hear, slow to speak, but then he throws in slow to anger.

I can understand the whole quick to listen and slow to speak. I mean God gave us two ears and one mouth. Your ears are open while your tongue is enclosed behind your lips and a wall of teeth. This tells me I should be listening more than speaking.

How many of you are good listeners? I am working on it. It takes practice to listen to someone as they are speaking to you. You have to be intentional in listening.

There are actual signs you can look for to see if someone is listening or not:

Their eye contact is too fixed, and their heads are too still.

They smile too brightly and for too long.

They tap their fingers.

They fidget.

Their body is turned away from you

Their feet are pointed towards the door.

They don't mirror your body language.

They are playing on their phone or texting someone else while you are speaking (I am working on that one)

It is super awkward when someone your talking to isn’t listening. This happened to me once where I was at lunch with another pastor and all through the conversation they were fidgeting and looking around the room instead of being engaged in the conversation.

We are to be quick to listen, slow to speak, but then James throws in slow to anger. Maybe you are the one speaking and the other person isn’t listening or speaking back to you with no filter and you get angry. Or maybe you heard something and it made you angry.

You ever get angry at something someone said to you?

I know I have. When I was a youth pastor at our home church back in Indiana, we did a Passion play every year for Easter. I played the part of Jesus. We would spend hours practicing night after night getting prepared for the presentation of the Gospel message on Easter Sunday.

I remember one year we did it on a Friday or Saturday night as well. We were down in the basement getting ready to start the program and my pastor said, “I don’t remember what time we put on the flyers and we might have to go through the play twice.”

At that moment there were some people complaining and I was one of them. I said, “I am not doing this twice.” My pastors response was something like “we will do it as many times as we need too!”

At that point my attitude was put it check not by what my pastor said, but by the Holy Spirit working through him. My anger, my emotions, got in the way of the bigger picture.

James is telling us to keep our anger in check. Why?

Our emotions will cloud our judgement every time and we will lose sight of the bigger picture.

When our judgement is clouded by our emotions, we cannot discern what God is saying.

Go back a little further to Genesis 19. Abraham and his nephew Lot had parted ways and Lot went to dwell in the city of Sodom. God is getting ready to pass judgement on Sodom for the wickedness and immorality that was taking place there. God sends in two angels to the city on behalf his uncles prayers.

Lot takes these angels into his house and while they were there, the men of the city began to beat on the door. Here is what the Scripture says.

Genesis 19:4–7 NASB95

4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 5 and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” 6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly.

Lot met the mob at the doorway and emotions are flying high. I am sure he was scared. Fear is an emotion. Lot knowing the wickedness that was about to happen decided to respond out of emotion rather than seeking God and getting his view on things. How do we know?

Genesis 19:8 NASB95

8 “Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof.”

Lot was about to make a terrible choice for not only him, but his family. Lot was about to put his own daughters in danger because of his emotions. There was no discernment nor wisdom from God happening here. Discernment in the fact that the angels of God could take care of themselves. They are angels of God. What can man do to them?

We see emotions take over again after they fled the city.

Lot's own daughters reacted out of fear (emotion) decided to liquor up dad not once but twice in order to bear children. Out of Lot's two daughters came the Moabites and the Amorites whom were both arrogant, idolatrous, and wicked people.

Once you see how people in Scripture begin to make decisions based on emotions and how it affects discernment, you can't unsee it!

But doesn’t the Word say we can be angry?

Yes. But listen to Paul’s words.

Ephesians 4:26 NASB95

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Paul tells us three things here.

You can be angry - God has given to us emotions. It is not a sin to have anger or to experience anger. It is what you do with that anger that can lead you into sin.

Sin - missing the mark.

Don’t let the sun go down on anger - in other words your anger should have a life span.

Be Angry, but Don’t Sin

Paul’s address to anger is actually pulling from an Old Testament Psalm.

Psalm 4:4–5 NASB95

4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord.

Again we are allowed to be angry, but what we do with that anger will determine whether we fall into sin or not. Remember, what we are trying to produce in our lives is the righteousness of God.

James tells us to be slow in our anger…why?

James 1:20 NASB95

20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

The anger of man will not produce the righteousness of God.

So what is this righteousness?

Righteousness

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1343 δικαιοσύνη

1 in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God. 1A the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God.

We are only approved by God through the righteousness of Jesus. Our own righteousness is not good enough. Our own righteousness is like filthy rags to God. So we clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Christ.

But righteousness is not limited to just the righteousness of Christ or who we ought to be. It actually goes a little deeper.

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1343 δικαιοσύνη

1B integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting.

Righteousness is also a correctness of our feelings.

As we will find out in James it is not about how much Scripture you know, but it is about putting it to action.

James 1:22 NASB95

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

You are lying to yourselves if you believe you can have wealth of knowledge of the Scriptures and yet not producing any righteousness because you fail to put into practice what you know.

When we walk out the Scriptures, we are putting on the righteousness of Jesus. We are replacing our way of living for that of Jesus way of living.

So the question remains, how do we be angry and not sin?

Submit Your Anger

The answer to that question is found in the Scriptures. Paul gives to us part of the answer in the second half of the Scripture in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:26 NASB95

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

This tells me that my anger should have a life-span. Whatever it is I am angry over, whether it be with my kids, my spouse, or the world, it needs to have a life span. In other words it needs to die.

We live in a culture right now where people are angry everyday.

Angry about politics

Angry about gas prices

Angry about food prices

Angry about guns

Angry about the drugs on the street

Angry because some business owner painted their building with the paint they bought with their own money and someone who doesn’t own the property nor bought the paint is angry because they don’t like the color

We live in an angry world!

As Christians we can get angry, but at some point it needs to die!

Harold W. Hoehner said this about Paul’s writing in Ephesians:

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:26–27

The way to prevent such sin is to “keep short accounts,” dealing with the anger before the sun goes down. The reason is that the devil would like to intensify a Christian’s righteous anger against sin, causing it to become sin itself. This then gives the devil a foothold (lit., “a place”), an opportunity for leading that Christian into further sin. Then anger begins to control the believer rather than the believer controlling his anger.

Anyone here ever do something stupid when you were angry?

If we do not get our anger under control and we allow our anger to control us, we will not produce the righteousness of God.

Is it not a righteous act:

to throat punch someone because they said something stupid to you or about you - defend yourself if you have to, but don’t start it

cuss somebody out because they cut you off

verbally attack someone because they verbally attacked you - remember slow to speak, slow to anger

tear down someone who has spread rumors about you

tear down the state, local, or the government in general and it’s leaders because you don’t like what they are doing or saying

Can we be angry about these things? Sure. But what you do with those emotions determines whether or not you fall into sin or produce the righteousness of God.

What does God desire for you? His righteousness.

Hosea 10:12 NASB95

12 Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

2 Timothy 2:22 NASB95

22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

1 John 3:7 NASB95

7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

Practice Righteousness

If we are going to control our anger, we have to be intentional about it. It is going to take practice.

So how can we be angry and not sin? How can we produce or practice righteousness when it comes to our anger?

Submit your emotions to Jesus.

Colossians 3:15 NASB95

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Paul tells us here that we are to let or in other words, allow the peace of Christ rule/govern our hearts. This word heart in the Greek is Kardia.

Kardia - the seat and center of human life

Your heart is the seat of your desires, your feelings, your affections, your passions, and your impulses.

When we hear of any news that is good or bad or whether we agree or disagree with, we are to submit our emotions Christ Jesus.

The only way to do this is to bring Jesus/God into what you are experiencing and allow Him to speak to the situation.

Ask God what is His thoughts about the person that made you angry. Ask God what His thoughts are about how high the cost of food, rent, mortgages, ect. that are causing you to be angry. Ask God His thoughts on the state our country and world is right now.

Once you do that. Once you hear from God. Then you MUST submit to it and let it go. Then and only then will the peace of Christ rule in your heart.

(Call piano player and have everyone stand - ask for those to come forth and pray with those who come forward for prayer)

Put it to Practice

Let’s put into practice what we have learned today. James continues and says this:

James 1:21–25 NASB95

21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

I want to invite those this morning to receive the Word from God with humility and bring your anger to God.

Don’t leave out of here today consumed by anger. Anger left un-submitted to God will rule and reign in the heart of the believer. When our anger is in control, God is not. There is not righteousness produced when we are in control.