Hearing Difficulties? - James 1:19-27

Verse 19.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent,

and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says

is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror

and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom

and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it,

they will be blessed in what they do.

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues

deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this,

to look after orphans and widows in their distress,

and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So just as Sam comes up to hopefully open up that passage to us,

let me just pray for him and pray for us as we listen,

that we'd be able to concentrate and take it in.

Father God, thank you for the privilege of being able to come here,

as Jonathan prayed and mentioned already,

without distress, without the fear of being persecuted.

We can do it here in the open in a community center.

Thank you for those wonderful blessings.

We pray your Holy Spirit here among us.

We pray that he would be active,

helping us to concentrate on what Sam is saying,

concentrate on what you are trying to say to us this morning through Sam.

And that as the passage said,

we would not merely just listen to it this morning,

and then go away and forget what we heard,

but that throughout the week, throughout the rest of today,

and throughout the rest of the week,

we would be doing what we hear today.

We pray specifically for Sam.

Please fill him with your Holy Spirit.

Thank you for him.

Thank you for the wonderful gifts that you've given him,

that he can teach us, to enable us,

to learn more about you, your word,

and how we can please you throughout our daily lives.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks, Sam.

Good morning, everybody.

Well, I'm going to start with a story.

So one day, a man named Jer decided to go to the doctor,

complaining that his wife wasn't listening to him as well recently,

and that perhaps she had a hearing problem.

The doctor said,

Well, Jer, I have something to diagnose this.

It's very easy.

All you have to do is just go home this evening,

and I want you to stand 15 feet behind your wife,

and she has her back turned.

I just want you to ask her a question,

and see if she responds.

Jer said,

That's grand.

So he went on home,

and that night he came across his wife in the kitchen making the dinner.

So he stood 15 feet behind her,

and he asked,

Darling, what's for dinner?

She didn't reply.

He was like,

Well, this is interesting.

So he moved five feet closer again,

and he asked,

Darling, what's for dinner?

Still no reply.

He moved five feet closer again,

asked the same question,

still to no avail,

until finally he was right behind her,

like as close as he could possibly be behind her without touching her.

And he said,

Darling, what's for dinner?

To which she frantically swung around and cried,

For the fourth time, Jer,

it's roast chicken.

In that little story,

we all know who actually had the hearing problem.

He just didn't realize it, right?

And you know what?

It's kind of similar to us.

We may have a hearing problem,

but most of us just don't realize it.

And it's not a physical hearing problem.

No, it's our spiritual hearing that's faulty.

In our passage today,

James, the half-brother of Jesus,

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

calls out those of us who think we listen well to God's word,

but actually we aren't listening at all.

God's standard of listening,

as described through the passage today,

is summed up perfectly in verse 22.

Do not merely listen to the word

and so deceive yourself.

Do what it says.

Listening accompanied by action

is the type of listening that God requires of us.

This brings me back to the days of my youth at home.

Picture a scene where my mum,

running out the door to the shops,

asked me to unload the dishwasher

by the time she gets home.

I said, yep, absolutely, grand, I'll do that.

But she arrives back two hours later

and I'm still in the same horizontal position on the couch

and no dishwasher done.

And you can hear her walk in and say,

you didn't listen to me.

And I was like, oh, but it was just a good match

and I completely forgot about it.

I'm sorry.

And then, in the way that only a mum can,

she just, she brings in the sucker punch.

If you were really listening to me,

you would have done what I had asked.

Ouch.

And you know, while we all know the importance

of listening to and heeding our parents' instructions,

there is an ultimately higher voice of authority

in the life of a Christian,

and that is God's word.

And like my mother rebuked me

for a false form of listening,

James, in this passage,

he rebukes us for listening that lacks action.

In God's eyes, being a good listener to his word

means you don't just hear his word,

but you do it.

You put it into practice in your life

and you don't wait.

And that's the main theme of today's passage,

which we're going to explore first

in verses 22 to 25.

And then kind of before and after that section,

there are three practical implications

of this kind of listening for our lives.

And those three implications are this.

Number one, how we speak.

Two, how we interact with the world.

And three, how we serve those in need.

So we'll look at those each in turn a little later.

But first, let's jump into the main theme of the passage

of verse 22.

And I've entitled this Man in the Mirror.

I don't know if anyone's heard that Michael Jackson song.

But yeah, it's kind of appropriate.

Anyway, let's listen.

Let's actually read verse 22 and 23 now.

Do not merely listen to the word

and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

Anyone who listens to the word

but does not do what it says

is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror

and after looking at himself,

goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

In Jane's analogy,

the person looking in the mirror

doesn't do anything about what they see.

They just forget about it.

It's kind of like me the other week.

I paid money to go to a foot consultant

because I needed advice

on how to fix the problem I have with how I walk.

Now, the fact that I went to the foot consultant

made me feel like I was really doing something about a problem

which I've, to be honest,

I've ignored for the last five years of my life.

But the reality is I'm deceiving myself

if I think that just listening to that consultant

is going to solve my problem.

No, I have to go

and I have to fork out 400 euro

for those insoles he told me to buy

or else I'm still going to walk a bit funny.

You see, it's like that with God's word.

The very act of listening

can fool us into thinking that we're doing something,

if you know what I mean.

And we listen a lot here in Ireland.

We think that we're being a really good Christian

because we stopped to read the words today.

Not that we did anything about it.

Or because we went to church

and we listened to a sermon.

Not that we thought about it again since.

You know what James says,

that is as useless

as the man who looked in the mirror

and immediately forgot

that he really needed to shave

and that his face was covered in Nutella from breakfast.

He failed to act on what he saw

and so looking in the mirror

was worthless to him.

Likewise, when we look into the word,

we need to do what it says

or else it's absolutely worthless to us.

And James pulls no punches here.

Look in verse 22.

He says,

we deceive ourselves

if we think that we are followers of Jesus

without taking his word seriously

or putting it into practice in our lives.

You know what?

As Jesus very simply says in John 14,

and it's on the screen here.

You can see it with me.

Anyone who loves me

will obey my teaching.

My Father will love them

and we will come to them

and make our home with them.

But anyone who does not love me

will not obey my teaching.

It's that simple.

Now at this point,

I think we need to press pause

because maybe you are beginning to question,

as I did,

well, does this mean I am doomed

unless I live a flawless life

of perfect obedience to God's word

as James is saying here?

I mean, what hope is there for me,

a man who feels time and time again

though I want to obey?

Well,

Romans chapter 3,

Romans 3:23

verses 23 and 24

gives us the incredible answer

to that question.

For all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God.

We definitely know that much.

And all are justified freely

by his grace

through the redemption

that came by Christ Jesus.

God knew that we couldn't live

a perfect life of obedience to him.

And that is why he sent his son

to do it in our place.

And that person is Jesus

and his salvation is a free gift

to all who would believe.

He lived the perfect life

we could never live.

And on the cross,

he died the death

that we deserved for our rebellion.

And now he frees us

to live a life of obedience

that glorifies the Father.

A life that strives to listen to

his word and obey.

Not that it's earning our salvation,

but because we love him.

Because we can say,

as the author of Psalm 119 said,

how sweet are your words

to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth.

So, now we can rest assured

that our hearing of God's word

and doing what it says

is not something that earns

our salvation.

Rather, it's the proof

that we have been saved.

And that we do love the Lord.

So, in that light,

let's return to our passage now.

Where James continues

in verse 25

to give us four steps

for putting God's word

into practice.

And in turn,

being blessed

in the Christian life.

And like the rest

of James' letter,

this verse is absolutely

filled with down-to-earth

practical instructions

for the believer.

So, let's pay attention

and learn how to put

God's word into practice.

Read verse 25 with me.

But whoever looks intently

into the perfect law

that gives freedom

and continues in it,

not forgetting what they have heard,

but doing it,

they will be blessed

in what they do.

So, let's take each

of these four steps

in turn.

And I found it kind of helpful

to parallel this

with Psalm 1.

And it's going to come up

on the screen

beside each point.

So, let's start

with the first one.

Step 1.

To put the word

into practice,

we need to look

intently into it.

Okay?

Not just a fleeting glance

every day for five minutes.

Oh, that's that done.

No, I'm going to get on

with the rest of my

busy life today.

No.

We must linger,

dwell on,

wrestle over God's word.

Which does take time.

But as James says,

it's the perfect law

that gives freedom.

Like, these words

free us.

And how do they do that?

Well,

because within the pages

of this book,

we find a true God

who frees us

from all our false gods

and we find a love

which satisfies

and surpasses

all lesser loves

we look to in life.

Why would we stay away

from such a fountain?

A river of life and truth?

We need to check

our attitude

to God's word.

Is it a chore

to open it up?

Or do we recognize

that these words

are the words

of eternal,

overflowing life

that all of us

long for?

Listen to the author

of Psalm 1

who shows us

how to do this one,

right?

It's up there

on the screen as well.

Blessed is the one

who does not walk

in step with the wicked

or stand in the way

that sinners take

or sit in the company

of mockers,

but whose delight

is in the law

of the Lord

and who meditates

on his law

day and night.

Is the word

really our delight?

Do we long for it?

Do we meditate on it?

Do we take time

every day

to still ourselves,

open up the word

and soak in it?

So firstly,

we must look intently

into the word

and secondly,

James says,

we must continue

in it.

In the psalm

that I just read,

the author spoke

of meditating

day and night

on the word.

Now,

if we're really

seeking to fill

our hearts

with God's word,

we can't live off

sporadic,

irregular visits.

We need to be

continually looking

intently into God's word.

We need to get

into rhythms

and habits

of stilling ourselves

and allowing God

a chance to speak

to us daily.

And let's be careful

not to get legalistic

about this either,

but thinking that

those who read

God's word

more often,

that they somehow

have more favour

with God

and they're earning

brownie points

with God

and those who do

it less,

that they're

less holy or something.

No,

that's not what

the psalmist here

is saying,

or James.

They're actually

saying instead

that it is

your joy

that you get

to read the word.

What an incredible

privilege it is

to drink from

this river

of life and truth.

And as Sam

once says,

such a man

is like a tree

planted

by streams

of water.

God's words

are a river

of life.

Drink it up

continually,

daily,

and let his word

flow through

every part of you

and then just

watch as that

tree flourishes

and you find

yourself

becoming more

like Jesus.

Third step.

we must not

forget what

we have heard,

but do it.

So here James

is telling us,

look,

we need to take

some practical

steps to aid

our memory,

or else we're

going to forget

what we've heard.

My wife will

tell you how

shocking a

short-term

memory I have.

You know,

so much so that

I actually have

a list of alarms

on my phone

set to come on

at different times

for the simplest

of everyday tasks.

so let me

tell you one

thing that I

do to

counteract my

own shortcomings.

Firstly,

I take notes

on a Sunday

whenever I'm

listening to

the sermon.

Now,

if I didn't

do this,

I'd have

forgotten most

of the sermon

by Sunday

night,

and good luck

trying to get

it into my

life the next

week.

But by

writing it

down,

I can then

whip out my

notes the

morning after,

Monday morning,

when I'm having

my time with

God.

And at that

stage,

I'm praying,

Father,

show me how

to get this

word into my

life.

And so I

read the

scripture passage

again,

and I

meditate on it.

I look at my

notes,

and I see,

right,

how am I going

to get this

into my life

this week?

And it's great

then,

because I can

go back to

my notes

later in the

week,

Thursday or

Friday,

and see,

right,

how am I

doing on

this?

Have I

really put

the word

into practice

in my

life or

not?

Some other

methods,

though,

are to

listen back

to the

sermon during

the week,

perhaps.

You can do

that on the

church website

here.

Also,

I know

people who

have a

journal open

as they

read the

word at

home,

and they

write down

their learning

in a way

to solidify

it in

their minds.

Also,

there's no

substitute for

good,

old-fashioned

Bible verse

memorization,

and we

shouldn't

neglect that

either.

Why not

set yourself

a target?

Maybe to

memorize a

passage a

week or

a month?

There are

lots of

ways to

do this,

but listen,

you and

I,

we just

need to

figure out

how we're

going to

do it,

and we

need to

put an

action plan

in place

for how

we're going

to remember

God's word

and not

forget it

and get

it into

our lives.

So,

James has

told us to,

number one,

look intently

into the words,

two,

continue in it,

number three,

not to forget

it,

but to do

what it

says,

and his

fourth point

is that when

we do all

this,

we will be

blessed in

what we do.

James was

writing to

persecuted

believers who

had been

scattered from

their homes

in Jerusalem

throughout the

surrounding world.

They were

often poor,

they were

often mourning

and persecuted.

I wonder,

was James

thinking about

what his

brother Jesus

said when

he said in

Matthew chapter

five,

blessed are

the poor in

spirit,

for theirs

is the

kingdom of

heaven.

Blessed are

those who

mourn,

for they

will be

comforted.

Blessed are

those who

are persecuted

because of

righteousness,

for theirs

is the

kingdom of

heaven.

Why are

God's

followers

blessed?

Even in

their grieving,

even in

their poverty

and persecution,

the reason

is we

are part of

the kingdom

of God,

both now

and in the

future in

heaven.

Ours is an

incredible

inheritance

because we

get Jesus

in part now,

fully in

heaven.

We inherit

eternal life,

free from

pain,

an eternity

of perfect

love in

God's

presence.

We are

spiritual

billionaires

in Christ.

And James

says that

this is why

we are

truly blessed.

We have

the joy

of being

in Christ's

kingdom.

A

blessedness

that comes

not by

escaping

the trials

of this

world,

but by

doing

the word

of the

Lord.

And look

and see

what the

psalmist

also says

in this.

He says

that person

is like a

tree planted

by streams

of water

which yields

its fruit

in season

and whose

leaf does

not wither

whatever

they do

prospers.

Plant your

roots deep

in the river

of God's

word and

as the

tree of

your life

grows,

produces

fruit,

provides

shade,

not only

will you

be blessed

but also

all those

around you

will be

blessed

by the

tree of

your faith.

need.

So we

have heard

James'

call to

be doers

of the

word and

not just

hearers and

he's given

us four

steps for

achieving

that in

our lives.

Now in

finishing,

we're going

to examine

the three

different

implications

of this

practice in

our lives.

Firstly,

in how we

speak,

secondly,

in how we

interact with

the world,

and thirdly,

in how we

serve those

in need.

So let's

read,

if you could

read with

me,

verses 19

to 20.

My dear

brothers and

sisters,

take note

of this.

Everyone

should be

quick to

listen,

slow to

speak,

and slow

to become

angry,

because human

anger does

not produce

the righteousness

that God

desires.

James wants

us to put

God's word

into practice

when it

comes to

our responses

to others

and how we

speak.

Look down

at verse 26.

There he

says,

those who

consider

themselves

religious,

and yet

do not

keep a

tight rein

on their

tongues,

deceive

themselves,

and their

religion is

worthless.

So we see

James is

pretty serious

about this.

Of all

the parts

of the

body,

James

accredits

the tongue

with the

most potential

for destruction.

If you

can skip

forward there

in your

Bible to

James

James 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

and verse

6 onwards.

And here

we can

see how

James really

does not

mince his

words when

it comes

to the

tongue.

Chapter 3

verse 6.

The tongue

also is a

fire, a

world of

evil among

the parts

of the

body.

It corrupts

the whole

body, sets

the whole

course of

one's life

on fire,

and is

itself set

on fire

by hell.

Verse 8.

So James

could not

be clearer

about the

harmful

potential

of our

words to

wreak havoc

in other

people's

lives.

And so

he gives

this practical

template to

use when

speaking to

others.

And this

is it.

Be quick

to listen,

slow to

speak, and

slow to

anger.

When someone

says something

that we

disagree with,

or something

that is

offensive to

us, those

times responding

with grace and

avoiding anger is

one of the

hardest things

to do.

But James

orders us to

do it.

Now, the

author, John

Bloom, can

use this

verse to

come up with

the following

process when

we go to

speak.

And this

is his

process.

Listen,

wait, and

respond.

So A,

listen.

We are to

listen well

so that we

really do

understand where

the other

person is

coming from.

Listening well,

even when you

don't agree,

is a mark of

humility that

shows the

other person

that you are

genuinely

thinking about

them.

B, we

need to

patiently

wait.

We must

be slow

to speak.

In the

moment, we

all know our

natural impulse

to say things

that we regret

later on.

Have a look at

Proverbs 10,

Proverbs 10:19

verse 19 here.

It's on the

board.

Sin is not

ended by

multiplying

words, but

the prudent

hold their

tongues.

So we

must wait

before responding.

And as we

wait, let's

use that

time to

pray and

ask God

for wisdom

and discernment

and how

best to

speak.

Lastly, see,

we are to

respond with

grace.

Ephesians 4,

29 exhorts

us to speak

in a way that

gives grace to

those who

hear.

Proverbs 16,

24 says,

Gracious words

are like a

honeycomb.

Sweetness to

the soul

and health

to the body.

It may be

that our

gracious words

are still

tough to

hear, and

that's often

necessary, as

long as they

are spoken in

love, humility

and honesty.

And the

result of

all this

listening,

waiting, and

gracious

responding is

in the rest

of verse 19.

We are

consequently

slow to

anger.

We are

calmer, more

measured, less

impulsive.

We're actively

avoiding the

type of anger

that does not

please our

Father.

So listen,

wait, and

respond.

That's a godly

principle to

speak by.

And that's

James' first

implication for

the life of

a believer.

His second

is right here.

It is how we

interact with

the world.

And James is

asking us here

not to take on

the morals and

values of this

world that

are contrary

to scripture.

James continues

to say in

verse 21,

look there

with me,

therefore,

or in

light of all

these anger

avoidance

strategies,

get rid of

all moral

filth and

the evil

that is so

prevalent,

and humbly

accept the

word planted

in you,

which can

save you.

And he

also calls

us in

verse 27,

to keep

ourselves

from being

polluted by

the world.

So James

says,

watch out.

Watch out

for the

twisted morals

and the

widespread

evil that

you are

seeing and

hearing all

around you

on the

radio,

in the

newspaper,

the TV.

They don't

produce the

righteous life

that God

desires.

Don't let

them take

root in your

heart so

that they

become your

morals.

And I

don't know

which ones

you are

perceptible

to,

but these

are the

ones that

I seem

to be

constantly

fighting

against in

my own

mind.

The morals

of pursuing

wealth,

striving for

self-promotion,

living for

comfort and

pleasure,

tolerance of

every new

idea.

We need

to be careful

about this.

How are

the world's

values quietly

taking root

in our

hearts and

minds?

James has

a solution

to this.

Have a

look.

It's in

the second

half of

verse 21.

He says,

Humbly

accept the

word planted

in you,

which can

save you.

The morals

and evils

in the

world today

that are

widely

accepted,

they cannot

lead us

to the

truth that

will save

us.

That is

the gospel

of Jesus

Christ who

died for

us.

Now,

I'm not

saying that

when you

go home

from church

this afternoon

you're going

to rip

out that

skybox and

throw it

in the

bin,

and that

you're not

going to

read the

Irish Times

anymore,

and that

you're never

going to

listen to

RT News

radio again.

No,

no,

I'm not

saying any

of that.

Our aim

is not to

prevent

ourselves

from hearing

the voice

of the

world,

but instead

to take

all that we

do here

in the

world,

and put

it through

the filter

of the

word,

because only

here can

we discern

what is

good and

true.

And when

we read

what God

says to

be truth

and life

and his

word,

James says

that we

then have

to humbly

accept it.

This means

that we

have to

humbly

acknowledge

that the

maker of

life knows

what is

truly right

and wrong,

not us,

even

though there

are many

things that

are hard

to understand.

In a

world of

ever-evolving

morals,

one thing

stands true

throughout the

ages,

immovable,

solid,

and sure.

It's the

word of

God.

And let

us cling

to it

for dear

life as

we navigate

through this

broken world.

Finally,

and briefly,

the third

implication of

being a

doer of

God's word

is in

how we

serve

those in

need.

Look at

verse 27

with me.

Religion

that God

our Father

accepts as

pure and

faultless is

this,

to look

after orphans

and widows

in their

distress,

and to

keep oneself

from being

polluted by

the world.

So after

telling us

how worthless

our devotion

to God

is,

if we

fail to

put God's

word into

practice in

our lives,

James now

gives us an

example of

the opposite

as such.

This is the

type of

devotion that

puts his

word into

practice,

and is

entirely pure

and worthwhile.

This is the

type of

devotion that

gives him

pleasure.

So let's

look at his

example where

he studied

this.

He says,

we must

look after

orphans and

widows in

distress.

You know

what James

says?

If we're

followers of

Jesus,

we must

follow Jesus'

footsteps to

the homes of

the broken,

the weary,

the downcast,

those who in

our day are

left behind by

society.

And the

question must

be asked,

if I am so

caught up in

my busy life,

my family,

my close

circle of

friends,

but cannot

look outside of

that bubble of

mine to see a

broken,

needy world,

then how can I

claim to obey

Jesus when he

says in

Matthew 25,

and it's on the

board here,

whatever you

did for the

least of

these,

you did for

me.

For I was

hungry,

you gave me

something to

eat.

I was thirsty,

and you gave

me something to

drink.

I was a

stranger,

and you

invited me

in.

I needed

clothes,

and you

clothed me.

I was sick,

and you

looked after

me.

I was in

prison,

and you

came to

visit me.

This was

Jesus'

approach to

serving others.

He says,

go out,

find the

lowest of

the low,

and meet

their needs

in my name,

for my

sake.

Whatever you

do for them,

you're doing

for me.

I have to

admit,

this has been

a huge

challenge to

me this

week,

in my own

application of

these words

to my life.

As I think,

well, do I

actually have

time for

those who

are suffering?

The orphans,

the widows,

the sick,

the elderly,

the weary,

the mourning.

Are you and

I giving

freely out of

the abundance

that we have

received from

the Father?

To be a

doer of the

word, we

need to be

actively seeking

out opportunities

to do this.

And this

requires serious

action.

In

finishing,

let me just

summarize what

we've learned

from God's

word today.

Let us

not just

listen to

the word,

and like a

man who

walks away

from the

mirror,

forget

everything we

have heard.

Instead,

let us look

intently and

continually into

the word,

not forgetting

what we have

heard, but

doing it,

and in

turn,

experiencing

the blessedness

that comes,

not from

conforming to

the world,

but from

acting on

every word

of God.

let us

listen,

wait,

and respond

with grace

when we

speak.

Let us

put everything

we hear in

the world

through the

filter of

the word,

and let us

reach out in

love to

those who

are in need

around us.

Let's be

doers of the

word,

in

carigaline

and around.

Let's be

like trees

planted by

streams of

water,

which yield

its fruit

in season,

and whose

leaves do

not wither,

whatever they

do prospers.

Amen.

I think

that we

should take

a practical

step right

now to

do what

we've heard

in the

word today,

so I'm

just going

to leave

a time

of reflection

for all

of us

to talk

to the

Lord and

to ask

him what

do we

need to

change in

our lives

as a result

of this.

So I'm

going to

play a

song in

the

background.

If you

know it,

feel free

to join

in and

sing,

but you

can just

stay in

your seats

and meditate

and really

ask the

Lord where

to go from

here.

So Lord,

we just

ask for

your help

now.

We ask

for your

help not

just to

listen to

your word,

but to

do what

it says.

Right

now,

Holy Spirit,

please show

us what

needs to

be changed

in our

lives.

We ask

for your

power to

change and

to become

more like

Christ.

Amen.