Thinking and Living Biblically

Chuck Swindoll tells a modern-day parable about the owner of a company who had to be out of the country for two years.

Before he left, he called his leadership team together and gave them these instructions.

He said, while I'm gone, you've got to stay on top of things.

Every week, I will send you detailed instructions about what I want to be done.

That will help you to stay on task and keep everything running smoothly.

Well, everyone agreed, thought it was a good idea.

So for the next two years, he sent detailed instructions every week outlining what the different members of the leadership team needed to be doing.

When he got back from the trip, as he was driving up the driveway to his business,

he was shocked at what he saw.

On the outside of the building, it looked like the place had been deserted, abandoned.

The grass had not been cut.

The flower beds were overgrown with weeds.

There were even a few windows missing.

When he walked into the lobby, the receptionist had her head down on the desk, just asleep.

So he just started down the hall.

As he made his way down, he heard loud music coming from several different offices.

Well, he went into the accountant's office, but no one was there.

So he just sat down at the computer, pulled up the financial information, and he couldn't believe what he saw.

What had been a successful business that had made a profit every year had not made a profit the two years he had been gone.

As he looked more closely at details, he found that he was on the verge of bankruptcy.

You can imagine how he felt, what he was going to do.

He immediately called his leadership team together and demanded,

What have you been doing?

Didn't you get my instructions every week?

Well, they replied, Oh, yes, we got them.

In fact, we got together every Friday morning, and we talked about them.

We even printed them out and bound them together in a book.

Look, some of us have even memorized a part of your instructions.

Well, the owner was just livid, and he demanded, Well, what did you do with my instructions?

And they replied, Do?

We didn't do anything, but they sure were nice instructions.

Now, that's an absurd parable, isn't it?

But it does illustrate an important point.

In fact, the point I'm going to make today in this message.

Sometimes, what I just told you is the way we respond to the instructions that God has already given to us in his word.

And James understood that.

And he really made the theme of what we call his New Testament letter,

Faith Works.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only.

I want you to turn with me, if you would, to this passage.

We're going to look at an extended passage this morning.

There will be a few verses on the screen, but it will be very helpful.

If you will pull up on your device, your bound copy, however you want to do it.

But if you would, open your Bible to James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

And we're going to look together at verses 29, or rather 19 through 27.

While you're turning, let me just remind you.

Over the past several weeks, we've been looking at what it means to think biblically about some of today's hot-button issues.

Today, we're going to wrap up that series by emphasizing that as important as it is for us to think biblically, that's not enough.

We need to put it into practice.

We need to live biblically.

And that's what James is going to be describing here in the verses that we're going to read.

This is one of the best passages that I know of in all of the Bible to help us to understand how important it is,

not to just acquire information or knowledge as we read and study the Bible.

We've got to do something with what we read and understand from God's Word.

We're going to read verses 19 through 27 now.

That's the context of what James is saying about being doers of the Word, not hearers only.

But we're only going to look at a few of the verses in our actual message on this.

Let's read in verse 19.

Know this, my beloved brothers, that every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Therefore, put away all filthiness and the rampant wickedness,

and receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.

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's like a man who looks intently at his natural face in the 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.

I want you to note here, God does not reward our acquiring information.

God only rewards our faithfulness to do what he's told us to do.

And that's what James is pointing out here.

Verse 26,

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue,

but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

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 is very clear in what he says, isn't he?

We've got to be both doers as well as hearers of God's word.

And that's really just another way of saying we must both think biblically and live biblically.

Let's look at it.

We can summarize what James is saying under two statements.

The first one, we must be receptive to God's word.

We must be receptive to God's word.

And James really has a unique way of telling us here to pay attention to what God's saying in his word.

Look first.

We must be quick to hear.

That's what he says.

Let every person be quick to hear in verse 19.

To be quick to hear means to be quick to pay attention.

Have you ever, at some point in the past or today, looked at a child in school, a lot of you teachers,

or your own children, and say, did you hear me?

Your question was not, did you hear my voice only?

Did you hear what I said?

Did it register is what you mean?

Are you paying attention?

James is telling us we need to have an eagerness to hear God's word.

And when we do, when we are quick to hear, we're paying attention.

We want to hear it.

We will let it sink in.

We'll think about what we're reading or what we're listening to.

Because we want to take it to heart.

It's the word of God.

It matters to us as children of God.

So we've got to be quick to hear.

You know, almost everyone in James' audience would have only heard God's word read to them.

They would not have had their own copy.

The leaders of the church, when they received this letter from James,

they would have read it.

Really in small house group gatherings.

But most of the people in the New Testament times, they heard the word of God.

They didn't have the privilege that we do of having their own copy.

And so when we read this, be talking about being quick to hear,

it applies to us who are reading it ourselves.

Listen to God as he speaks through his word.

So the first step to thinking biblically is to listen carefully to what God is saying through his word

when you hear it read or taught like right now.

Or when you read it for yourself.

Next he says we must be slow to speak.

Let every person be slow to speak.

People throughout history have understood the importance of what James says here.

An ancient philosopher said we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

The rabbis, Jewish rabbis, said it even better.

Men have two ears but one tongue that they should hear more than they speak.

The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction.

But the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth to hedge it in and keep it within proper bounds.

Think about that.

And then the Proverbs actually says it best.

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.

When he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

I think Abraham Lincoln must have got his well-known statement from that verse in Proverbs.

Lincoln is known for saying better remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

We need to let these kind of things just sort of sink in.

Because in spite of all these warnings, isn't it our natural tendency to do the opposite of what James is saying?

We're all too quick to speak, aren't we?

And too slow to listen.

And when we do this, two things happen.

We fail to discover God's way.

What God would have us do in a given situation.

We fail to discover his truth, his will.

And then, because we do that, we speak or act not based on what God tells us is the wise way to go, thing to do.

We speak or act based on our own feelings about the situation.

Our personal feelings.

Or just our past experiences with certain people or certain situations.

Or we may just think about what everybody else is saying and be influenced by that.

Popular opinions of the secular world.

You know, over the past several weeks, we've been looking at, in our series calling Think Biblically or Thinking Biblically,

we've been looking at what it means to think biblically about such issues as race.

Law enforcement, law and order.

We actually talked about the role of government in our lives, in our country.

Talked about law enforcement, their responsibility to carry out the law, enforce the law, protect and serve, those kinds of things.

We've been looking at, over the past few weeks, socialism.

And we spent two weeks on our personal political involvement.

Now I want to ask you, are you doing your best to think biblically about those issues?

Do you, as a Christian, when you watch the news or hear the news and see all that's going on,

are you trying to try to get a hold of it, put your mind around it, and think,

what does God's word say about this situation?

About what's right and what's wrong?

What's good, what's evil?

Or, do you form your views, your personal views, based on just how you feel at a given moment?

Do you just react to what you see on the news?

Or, do you go by your personal experiences with people of a different race?

Or your connection to people in law enforcement?

Or, do you base your views on what you heard on Fox News?

Or CNN?

Or some internet conspiracy theory?

You know, it's shocking to think about how many Christians think that whatever they read on the internet is right, is true.

And believe it.

Swallow it.

Hook, line, and sinker.

When a lot of it just defies reality.

Don't get sucked into internet conspiracy theories.

The only way we're ever going to learn to really think biblically is to be quick to listen to God.

As he speaks through his word.

Through his spirit.

And a lot of times, in order to be quick to listen like this, we've just got to not speak.

Be more concerned about listening, hearing from him.

Or doing the study and reading his word than just what we think, what we've experienced, or what somebody is telling us from the outside.

James tells us one more thing to be slow about.

We must be slow to anger.

Let every person be slow to anger.

James knew that when we are not quick to listen and slow to speak, we are more likely to say and do things out of anger.

Isn't that true?

Don't you find that when you don't slow down and stop and think, hold your tongue, you just let yourself go.

React.

React.

Say, first thing comes off, comes out, you know, off the top of your head.

Don't you find there's a lot of anger in that?

James is probably describing someone who has deep-seated anger issues here.

They're an unteachable person.

They are quick to speak and slow to listen because they think they know it all.

You know, a lot of people don't have time to sit back and think, or they don't need to.

Because they think they know it all.

You know, generally speaking, this applies the younger you are.

When I was a teenager, I had all wisdom than any human being ever needed.

I didn't need to listen.

I certainly didn't need to listen to my parents.

People were older than me because I knew it all.

As I began life as a young adult, Lisa and I got married.

I still figured.

I pretty well got life figured out.

When I first began being a pastor, I just knew that I knew more than everybody else in the church.

But you know, the longer I've lived, the dumber I've got.

I don't know near as much as I used to know.

I have found that there's a lot of people in this world who can actually help me understand things.

God speaks through His Word, through His Spirit, and through a lot of wise people that He's put in our lives if we will listen.

Maturity helps us to better understand what James is talking about here.

But going back to the angry person.

Angry person doesn't think biblically because they just don't seem to understand their need to listen to God.

And as a result, they cannot enjoy a right relationship with God.

Look at what he says in verse 20.

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God, the right way of life before God.

And really before other people.

If you've got anger issues, you need to deal with it.

You need to acknowledge it.

You need to confess it as the sin that it is.

You may need some help trying to identify the source of your anger.

How to get a better handle on it.

An angry person does not produce the righteousness of God in relationship with God or in relationship with other people.

Now keep in mind, James is writing to Christians.

And he's writing to us about the importance of listening to the Word of God.

That is a prerequisite to thinking biblically.

But it's not enough just to listen.

It's not enough to even think biblically.

We've got to act according to the truth of God's Word.

Let's look at point number two now.

We must be obedient to God's Word.

Both listening and obeying is commanded.

Note verse 22.

Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

He is emphasizing hear.

Hear.

Just don't hear only.

Listening to the Word of God is vitally important.

We can't obey it if we don't know it.

But just listening or just thinking is not sufficient.

I want us all to understand that obeying the Word of God is essential.

James is making a command here in verse 22 that includes a warning.

Look at the rest of it.

James is telling us that if you think God is pleased with you just because you've acquired knowledge of the Bible,

but you don't do what it says, then you are deceiving yourselves.

You know, I know in church on Sunday morning, a lot of people, you've grown up reading the Bible.

You know a lot about the Bible.

You may have memorized a lot about the Bible.

You may read the Bible every day.

But what James is talking about, what he is really emphasizing to us this morning is,

as important as it is for you to read it, to hear it, to know it,

God is most concerned with what you do with what you know.

How you act on it.

I want to be real clear here.

Don't misunderstand and think I'm downplaying the importance of reading or memorizing the Bible.

I'm not.

Reading and hearing the Bible is vital for our spiritual growth.

We should be daily Bible readers.

That's not out of style.

That's not old-fashioned.

That's not what people did when they were young or a generation ago.

If we're going to really know God, know how to please Him,

be able to live in close fellowship with Him,

we've got to read His Word to better understand who He is and how He wants to relate to us.

We've got to read His Word to know how to please Him, what does please Him and what does not.

We should be regularly hearing the Bible taught,

like it is here on Sunday mornings in these worship services.

Next week we're going to start back with Sunday school,

another opportunity to gather together,

smaller groups,

hear the Word of God taught,

maybe discuss it, talk about it,

apply it to one another's lives.

Being a student of God's Word

is essential

to learning

to think biblically.

But James is warning us,

don't deceive yourself into thinking that such Bible reading and Bible study are ends in themselves.

Your goal should never be to read through the Bible in a year

just so you can say to someone,

I read through the Bible in a year.

Your goal should never be to memorize so many verses a week,

even in a one or any other thing.

It's great to read through the Bible in a year.

It is a tremendous thing for you to memorize God's Word.

But our goal should be

putting it into practice,

doing what God tells us to do,

thinking and acting biblically in every area of our lives.

You know, God is,

God's really not,

I don't think He's impressed with us being here this morning.

It's easy to be here.

You get up,

you come,

you sit,

you listen,

hopefully.

What God is most concerned about is

what you and I do with what we get here

and what we get in our personal Bible reading.

See, God's most concerned

with how you're going to act this afternoon

with your family.

Next week,

as a husband,

as a wife,

as a parent,

as a child,

as a student,

wherever you go to school,

as a teacher,

as an employee,

as an employer,

you know,

that's where we find out

if we just think biblically

or if we're living biblically.

It's easy to do what we do here on Sunday.

But it's another thing

to go back home,

especially some homes,

or go to certain jobs,

be around certain people at school,

be around certain friends,

and really live like a Christian.

That's where God calls us

to be faithful to Him,

to look to Him

for the strength,

the boldness,

the wisdom,

the love,

to actually put into practice

what we say we believe.

I want us to apply

what James is saying

to what we've been studying

for the past several weeks

in this series.

Are your views on race,

on law and order,

on socialism,

political involvement,

all the things we've been looking at,

are they based on

what the Bible actually teaches

about those issues?

I'm going to think that

90,

at least 90% of people in this room,

you do think about

at least some of these issues.

You have opinions.

You have beliefs.

You may even have convictions.

Well,

are your views,

whatever you call them,

are they based upon

what God has taught

in His Word,

what God has revealed

in His Word,

what we've been looking at

over the past several weeks?

I want you to think about it.

Just use as an example,

if you just deep down

are a racist,

you just don't like

people

who don't look like,

who don't have the same

skin color as you.

I want you to understand

you are not right

with God.

Because we've seen

all human beings

are created

in the image of God.

That makes all people

of the same worth

and value

and dignity.

There is no distinction

because we're all created

in the image of God.

All people

have descended

from one set of parents,

Adam and Eve.

We're all of the same,

all human beings

are of the same bloodline.

We're all of the same

one human race.

And we can't

make distinctions

because

this person's

this color

or maybe they're

from a different

part of the world

or a different region

of the country.

We can't say

that we don't like

this person.

They're less than us

and be right

with God.

Now we can say it

all we want to

but we cannot say it

and be right

with God.

What we need

to learn to do

some things

are easier

than others.

We need to learn

to look at life,

all of life

through the lens

of scripture

and let the truth

of God's word

guide our thinking

and our living.

You know if you have

sunglasses

that are tinted

sort of greenish

you can

there's a sort of

a greenish tint

to what you look at.

Dark, dark blue

there's sort of

a bluish tint

or some other color.

The lens

you look through

has an effect

on how things

look to you.

We need to let

the Bible be

that lens

through which

we look at

all of life

and we look

at people

and life situations

based on what

God says

is true

is right

and not just

what we think

or feel

what other people

say.

That is the only

way that any

of us can

please God

if we're Christians

our Heavenly

Father.

As God's

people

we need to make

reading and

studying the Bible

one of the top

priorities

of our life.

It is essential

to our spiritual

health.

It doesn't matter

how long you've

been a Christian.

We've got to

continue to spend

time with the Lord

in prayer

in Bible study

Bible reading.

That's the only

way we're going

to grow

in our

knowledge of

Him

our closeness

to Him

the only way

we're going

to be able

to really and

truly know

how to know

and do His

will.

But the reason

we make this

a priority

is so that we

can learn

to actually

think biblically

and then with

God's help

live biblically.

What James

writes here

about being a

doer of the

Word

it appears

to be based

on what

Jesus taught

when He

concluded the

Sermon on the

Mount

Matthew 5,

6,

and 7.

I want you

to look at

this great

body of

teaching how

Jesus concluded

in Matthew 7

beginning in

verse 24.

Jesus said

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 the

house and it

fell and great

was the fall

of it.

What are you

building your

life upon?

The words

of Jesus

the word

of God

or the

words

of men?

There's really

only those

two options.

If Jesus

returned to

this world

today

and he

asked you

what have you

done with the

instructions

that I have

given you

in your

copy

of the Bible

how would

you respond?

Would you

have to be

honest and

say well

I've just

really not

read it.

I've just

basically

ignored it.

I want you

to know that

is not

acceptable

and if

that's you

when you

see Jesus

either at

your death

or his

second coming

you will

not be

acceptable

and so I

want to ask

you to

confess that

as the

sin that

it is

repent

of it

change

your mind

about what

you're doing

your life

is not so

busy that

you cannot

read the

Bible

make a

commitment

that right

now I

am going

to start

looking into

God's word

every day

with a prayer

Lord teach

me help

me to

think the

right way

help me to

live the

right way

or would

you say

to the

Lord that

you had

read his

Bible his

word you

had studied

even in

detail some

things would

you tell him

that you had

memorized some

of it well if

that's true

that's good

but don't

stop there

what the

Lord is going

to be most

interested in

hearing is your

answer to this

question what

did you do

with what

you read

what did

you do

with my

instructions

bottom line

it is good

for us to

think

biblically

but it is

vital

that we

also

live

biblically

think about

it

what are you

building your

life upon

what is the

foundation

and what

Jesus said

in that

passage that

we read

only a

life built

on the

truth of

his word

is going

to be able

to stand

be able to

stand and

weather the

storms of

life in

this world

be a

hearer

studier

of God's

word

but make

sure you

are a

doer

of what

you hear

and what

you study

let's pray

together

father

father

show us

now

just where

we stand

lord

help us

to not be

content

with knowledge

help us

to understand

that just

being able

to think

biblically

is not

sufficient

help us

right now

father to

just evaluate

just how

faithfully we

are seeking

to live

according to

the truth

of your

word

or help

us to so

respond to

you this

morning that

we leave

here determined

with your

help

the help

of the

indwelling

holy spirit

to be

doers

of what

we read

what we

hear

what we

know

help us

not to

deceive

ourselves

by thinking

knowledge

is enough

lord

i pray

that you

will work

right now

to make

it clear

to everyone

in this

room

that this

message

is to

christians

men and

women and

young people

who have

turned from

their sin

and put

their trust

in jesus

and him

alone for

their salvation

father don't

let anyone

in this

room

misunderstand

and think

that they

can earn

a right

standing with

you by

what they

do

but lord

help us

to understand

clearly

that if

we are

saved by

your grace

through faith

in jesus

it will be

evident

by the way

that we

live

by the

things that

we do

let's

just all

be

prayerful

and listen

to the

lord

and respond

to him

as he's

speaking to

us during

this time

I

to

the