Bridge Church Vancouver

The great challenge of a Christian’s life is living the Christian life.  Recognizing that I have entered into the most amazing, fulfilling, satisfying relationship I can imagine with my maker and my God and then letting the new life that Jesus has given me come out in my daily life. 

James 1:19-27

this passage from James is the thesis of his entire letter

What is this saying:
James 1:19        My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

My dear brothers = James is writing to Jewish Christians – but he is endearing them as he is about to say something that is going to be challenging

Take note of this = “know this” he is drawing their attention to what he is about to tell them because this is important for them to get.

James offers his audience a proverb – a proverb is a “nugget” of truth that is designed to whet your appetite for the treasure of truth.  The Jewish people liked proverbs – short quips they could remember and use in their conversations  -

Like Solomon said in Proverbs 1:8 “Listen, my son, to your fathers instructions; James is saying “My brothers, take note of this...”

                Everyone = “anthropos” this applies to all humanity

                Should be = “estoo” “let be” this is to be a state of character – ‘ought to be’

                Quick to listen = quick = jump to it, rapidly pursue “hurry up and listen” 

                Slow to speak = contrast to listening – a hesitancy or delay to say something.

                Opposite of what we usually do – we are usually quick to speak our mind and slow to listen – we often think we have something so valuable to say that we don’t need to listen – we are convinced already of what is right – true – good – we get committed to it and so we say whatever comes to mind and only listen when we are not sure.

To be “slow to speak” does not mean that we “never speak up” but our tongues should have a throttle and governor –

I grew up mowing lawns – and my mowers would always have a throttle and governor – the throttle determined how fast the engine ran and the governor determined how much power the engine would run with.  Our tongues should have the same throttle & governor controlling how fast our mouths run and how much power our words have.

Because we are so sure we know what it right , we are quick to share it then we can become angry to defend what we think – we have just spoken and we can become angry when we have to justify or defend what we just said – we don’t want to look stupid or wrong      James says we should be:

Slow to become angry = the anger here is often translated ‘wrath’ and is not the picture of a blow-up but the sustained impassioned burning anger. 

The righteousness that God wants is not going to be produced by our anger.  We cannot bring about God’s Kingdom through violence or wrath. 

James is not saying we should never get angry – there is a place for “righteous anger”, but anger will not demonstrate the righteousness God expects our lives to be marked by. 

In Verse 21 James connects the truth of this parable to a new level – anger cannot be your path but it can be and will be if we do not do what he says next –

21 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.

Get rid of = lay aside; put away; the NAS makes it very conscious action -  “putting aside” – James is expecting his hearers to have already done this – like a parent expects his child to clean his room when he knows it is probably not done and has set the bar at his expectations “you’ve done this already haven’t you?”  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and evil – is a ‘given conclusion’.

James wants them to have removed “all dirtiness and excess wickedness” 

                Moral filth – Dirtiness = defilements that will spiritually stain our souls

                Prevalent evil = evil that springs out of the character or sin that is within our own hearts.

Eph 4:31-32

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Eph 5:3-6

3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God's people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.

The moral failures and taints of evil in our character – get rid of these – take them off like filthy clothes

In Humility = ‘humbly’ – the attitude one would rightly have if they have removed the moral filth and evil that has been in their hearts.  Like as you take off filthy clothes – you look at them and you think about where you’ve been and what you have done – how your anger and pride has lead you to say terrible things

In the Greco roman world – humility was not viewed as a virtue but a weakness, but in Judaism and Christianity humility is an essential element of Christ.

humbly accept the word planted in you-

implanted word = ‘emphutos’= engrafted, innate

in Greek thought, innate meant something inherent from birth – part of one’s nature, in today’s world people often think that people are born with God in them, goodness is inherent within a person, but if God’s ways were truly innate we would not have to receive it.

Christianity = the word of the gospel has taken up residence within believers – It is planted by God at a person’s new birth – God plants His word in our lives.  This is why only after we receive Christ into our lives can we spiritually understand God’s Word.

1 Cor 2:14

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This is not just a proverb for interpersonal relationships – regarding how we should relate to other people – though we would perhaps be richer in our relationships if we employed this proverb to our interactions with one another.  However this proverb – and subsequent teaching is positioned in the middle of James’s conversation about God’s Word. 

The context of this statement:

James 1:18-22

18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 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.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

This proverb is teaching us something about how we relate to and regard God’s Word

...the word planted in you, which can save you. 

God’s Word is able to continually work out the salvation that Jesus provides.  God’s Word will sustain & mature us – from the beginning of our relationship with Him to the culmination of our salvation in the eschaton – the coming age.

The NAS =    “...which is able to save your souls.” – “soul” is not included in NIV

Soul = “psuche” = your whole being – heart, mind, the rational & immortal

James call is to receive God’s word into our lives that can save our whole life –

If the gospel is obeyed, it is able to save the persons self.

James 1:22  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

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

A hearer of the word, one who merely listens to the word is the person who has great intentions, but doesn’t quite get around to doing anything.  This is the person who has heard – maybe many times for a long time but cant quite deliver.

All of us have had situations where we have the best intentions but no execution

Prov 25:14

14 Like clouds and wind without rain

is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

There are many people who can sound spiritual, they talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. 

James says this is the person who deceives themselves...  we can justify a lot,

“I intended to love this person by taking them a meal or calling them, but I had to work late and then give my cat a bath...”

We say these things to make ourselves feel good about our lives, but we are not deceiving anyone else.

James uses a great illustration to make his point. 

James 1:23-25

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 2

We understand mirrors – we have mirrors around us all the time.  We use mirrors to make sure we look the way we want to look – or as close as we can get. 

When James wrote this, mirrors were not as common and when a person looked at themselves in a mirror it maybe years between their last good look at themselves so they would peer into it for a long time so they wouldn’t forget what they looked like.

We look into mirrors so we can fix things – our hair, our face, our clothing

We would never look into a mirror and see us as a great mess and not do anything about it

When we go to God’s Word – it is to be like a mirror where we see ourselves in light of God’s image.  We should spend time looking at how God looks at us, how he values us, sees us.  We should see our messes – our sin, our bad habits, our attitudes – and consider what God would want us to do. 

If we spend time reading the Bible and close the book with out meditating on what it said, without considering what it means – to me and in me – without offering to God to change the parts of me that need to be changed so I can look more like God’s image – then I am just like the person who saw the mess in the mirror but didn’t care enough to do anything about it. 

Pirke Aboth:

There are four types of disciples: 

                Swift to hear and swift to lose – his gain is cancelled by his loss

                Slow to hear and slow to lose – his loss is cancelled by his gain

                Swift to hear and slow to lose – this is a happy lot

                Slow to hear and swift to lose – this is an evil lot

The Big “BUT”     the alternative that God offers us to help us succeed pleasing him and ourselves                              

James 1:25

25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

James describes God’s Word as the “perfect law that gives freedom” 

The Law was given to reveal our sin and lead us to a dependent relationship with God;

If I look into a mirror just to find my faults without changing something – I will feel bad about myself – depressing - God gave us the law to show us His standard for life and to drive us to him so he change us – bring regeneration into our lives because that is where we will ultimately find freedom. 

James 1:26-27

26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 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.

James summarizes his thesis in these last 2 verses – If someone wants to look like a godly person yet is not humbly and quickly to willing to listen. 

The word “religion” has had a bad connotation in our current culture, because the world has tried to pack emotional meaning into the word that is not linguistically there.  The word religion actually means “How I worship” – “how I ceremonially demonstrate my faith before God” that is my religion. 

James says there are two ways of coming before God.  One is authentic and the other inauthentic. 

One is living the way I want and looking spiritual

The other is caring about the people God cares about to the point that He uses my life to care FOR those people – and living a holy life. 

We will only be able to do that consistently if we are letting God’s Word change & shape our lives so we look like Him living in our skin –

Like Jesus said –    

John 15:7-8

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

What does this mean?

James calls his readers to 2 demonstrations of their faith

Holy Living         &            Faith-filled  Action

What does this mean for my life?

The Christian life looks like:
a life marked by humility, with a desire to reflect God's image (not the world's around me)

A Christian should respond to God's Word with obedient listening, careful speech and humble attitude

the application of obedience and humility looks like caring for the people God cares for – in the way He would do it; while maintaining personal purity.

Father – Thank you that you desire to reveal yourself through my life.  But God, sometimes when I look in the mirror – especially the mirror of your Word – all I see is a mess because of the sin of my life.  Please forgive me and cleanse my soul – my heart, mind, attitudes and actions. 

Please help me spend time in your Word this week and I commit to you now that I will let you challenge me and shape me because Your Word will bring my soul to life.  Please let me be quick to listen – especially to you, let me be slow to speak – like I really know what you would say; and let me stop carrying that burning anger about those issues of my life, but please help me humbly receive your Word that will bring me life. 

I want to do what you tell me to do, I want to care about the people you care about and in the ways you would care for them. 

And God please keep my feet from running towards the moral filth and evil that is always around me and has at times marked my own life.

I love you Father, please help me live your holy life, Amen.