1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,120 Church family, if you would open your Bibles to the book of James 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,240 chapter one. We have been going through James 3 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,760 for just a few weeks now. We've just started this series 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,160 after we finished the book of Numbers and this morning we're 5 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,840 going to be in James 119 to 21. We've been going through it at a 6 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,880 rather slow pace because James is is a fairly short book and so 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,000 I wanted to kind of plant ourselves in this book and look 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,840 at it at a slow pace. So we'll be in the 19 to 21 this 9 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,360 morning. Title of the sermon is quick to 10 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,560 hear, slow to speak, and that comes directly from our text 11 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:35,800 this morning. So let's read the text, open us 12 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:37,600 a word of prayer, and then we'll jump into the sermon this 13 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,400 morning. James one beginning in verse 19. 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,080 Know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to 15 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:56,440 hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,120 not produce the righteousness of God. 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,880 Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant 18 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:09,880 wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,800 which is able to save your souls. 20 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:26,200 Let's pray Father, I pray that as we look at these commands 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,920 this morning about being quick to hear and slow to speak, slow 22 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:35,600 to anger, putting away filthiness and and rampant 23 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,960 wickedness, receiving the the implanted word with meekness. 24 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:44,880 God, as we look at these 5 commands, I pray God, as next 25 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,000 week as what we're going to look at, that you would help us to be 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,560 more than just hearers of the Word, but to be doers. 27 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,200 So Lord, this morning, would you help us to put these things into 28 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,400 practice, Lord, not just so that we can ultimately be better 29 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:08,880 listeners or be calmer people, Lord, but that we would look 30 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,920 more like Jesus. And that the way that we live 31 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:16,080 our lives with our families, our friends at school, at a 32 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,640 workplaces, raising our children and our marriages, Lord, that 33 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,760 the way in which we live, it would reflect Christ. 34 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,160 That as we even just sung that to show us Christ that we would 35 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:32,440 reflect Christ and that our people in our lives would be 36 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,200 shown Christ and the way that we live. 37 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,920 Got to pray that you do this in his name, Amen. 38 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,120 When I read the text that preaching on this morning, this 39 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:52,680 week and and when I stand in front of the mirror and take an 40 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:58,680 honest assessment of my myself, of my own life, I realized that 41 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:06,720 I am often slow to hear and quick to speak and quick to 42 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:12,280 anger. I think in previous years I used 43 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,440 to justify anger as being a good thing. 44 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,480 It, it can be. I think I justified it because 45 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:22,880 it meant I cared. I get angry because I care. 46 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:31,440 I don't struggle with apathy, but I do struggle with anger. 47 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,640 And then I read what James writes, that the anger of man 48 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,760 does not produce the righteousness of God, and I 49 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:51,520 realized that meekness far more often produces the righteousness 50 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:59,000 of God than anger does. The meek person is quick to hear 51 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,200 and it's slow to speak. And that's what the sermon is 52 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,760 about. This morning, as we started, we 53 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,240 look at our text. I'm going to start with the next 54 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,720 position of the text where I kind of explain it and try to 55 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,920 help us understand what James is writing to us and teaching us. 56 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,120 And then I'll give application as to what we are to do with 57 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:16,920 this text. So let's start with the 58 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,279 exposition. I'm going to look at it section 59 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,120 by section, not just verse by verse, but section by section to 60 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,280 break it down so we know what James is teaching us. 61 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:29,680 So let's start verse 19 A where James writes know this. 62 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:36,200 My beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear. 63 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,040 James starts our passage this morning with the command. 64 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,800 It's the very first command he says is know this. 65 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,040 That's a command. It seems odd to command people 66 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,800 to know something, right? But we are commanded to know 67 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,080 God's truth, and so James wants them to know something. 68 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,600 Notice what he calls them again for the second time in this 69 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:02,760 letter. Know this, my beloved brothers. 70 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,480 We looked at this phrase last week where James said do not be 71 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:12,200 deceived my beloved brothers. Now he writes, know this. 72 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:16,800 My beloved brothers know what James is going to give them 3 73 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,400 commands. Let's look at them one at a 74 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,560 time. The first command is let every 75 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:26,600 person be quick to hear. What does that phrase mean? 76 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,560 The Greek word when it's for quick, when it's used as an 77 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:34,760 adjective means swift or speedy. The idea here is that a person 78 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:42,160 is ready and willing to listen. They are eager to listen. 79 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:48,920 That's the first one. Verse 19-B Slow to speak. 80 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,120 The second command James gives is the opposite of the first. 81 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:57,720 Let every person be slow. The word for slow here is used 82 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,720 only three times in the New Testament, twice in this verse. 83 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,040 It means pertaining to an extended period of time with the 84 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,280 implication of being slow to do something. 85 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:13,320 Whereas we are to be quick to use our ears, we are to be slow 86 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,200 to use our mouths. Now, obviously, we're not to be 87 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,480 slow to speak in every area. James is painting with a very 88 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,680 broad stroke here, as is very common in wisdom literature. 89 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:29,600 Look, let's look at the third command. 19C, Slow to anger. 90 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,040 So quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. 91 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,520 This word for slow to anger is the same word and slow to speak 92 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,360 no different. The Greek word for anger is used 93 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,880 36 times in the New Testament, 29 of the 36. 94 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,520 It is translated in the ESV as wrath. 95 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,640 All of those uses referring to the wrath of God. 96 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,560 Same word, same Greek word. It can take one of two 97 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,000 definitions. Either A it is a state of 98 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,440 relatively strong displeasure with a focus on the emotional 99 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:05,600 aspect. And when it takes that 100 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,160 definition, it's always translated as anger. 101 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:13,160 Or the second definition is a strong indignation directed at 102 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,920 wrongdoing with a focus on retribution. 103 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:17,960 And when it takes that definition, it's always 104 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,960 translated as wrath. Now, I want you to notice that 105 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:26,960 James's point here is not don't get angry. 106 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,720 That's not what he says. He doesn't say don't get angry. 107 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:38,800 His point is be slow to anger. In other words, anger is not 108 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,520 intrinsically sinful. There is nothing intrinsically 109 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,960 sinful about anger. How do we know this? 110 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,040 Because God gets angry. Jesus got angry. 111 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:59,520 But James wants us to be slow to feel and express this emotion. 112 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,640 Now why? Why does he want us to be slow 113 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,200 to feel and express this emotion? 114 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,720 Look at verse 20. For the anger of man does not 115 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,360 produce the righteousness of God. 116 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:24,400 The reason we are to be slow to anger is because our anger, 117 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:30,240 unlike God's, our anger doesn't produce the righteousness of 118 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,720 God. Now first we have to ask what is 119 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,799 the righteousness of God? This is important. 120 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:41,200 This phrase is used once by James, once by Paul and 2nd 121 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,760 Corinthians 521, and then five times by Paul in the book of 122 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,840 Romans. And we have to realize here that 123 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:53,840 James is using this phrase differently than how Paul uses 124 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,720 the phrase. Remember, most scholars think 125 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,560 that James wrote his letter first, so he doesn't have Paul 126 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:01,480 to work off of. James is using this phrase 127 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,000 differently than Paul. When Paul uses the phrase the 128 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:09,720 righteousness of God, he is referring to our position, our 129 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,360 standing before God, right? That type of righteousness is 130 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,400 only accomplished, it's only produced by Jesus Christ, by his 131 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:21,520 death on the cross. That's the only way you produce 132 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,440 that type of righteousness, right? 133 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:28,200 But James is not using this phrase in the position sense. 134 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,400 He's using it in the progressive sense. 135 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,520 In other words, this is the ongoing righteousness that we 136 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,320 are called to as Christians. As Christians we are called not 137 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,600 only am I righteous, my position, but then I'm called to 138 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,960 live righteously before God. That's what James is referring 139 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,200 to. This is our deeds and how we 140 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:51,560 live. In other words, what James is 141 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:58,800 saying here is that our anger, when we get angry, it does not 142 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:04,080 produce behavior that is pleasing to God. 143 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:10,320 Look at verse 21. A Therefore put away all 144 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:14,120 filthiness and rampant wickedness. 145 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:20,160 Therefore put away filthiness and rampant wickedness, James 146 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,600 writes. Therefore, what is the therefore 147 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,440 connecting here? James is probably suggesting 148 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,640 that just as anger doesn't produce the righteousness of 149 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:33,920 God, neither does filthiness or rampant wickedness, which are 150 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,800 often a byproduct of our anger. I think that's what he's getting 151 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,000 at here is that this filthiness and rampant wickedness often is 152 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,160 a byproduct of our anger, and out of those the anger produce 153 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,120 the righteousness. Neither of these produce the the 154 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,800 righteousness of God either. James tells the church to put 155 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,120 them away. That's that's one word in the 156 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,880 Greek. It literally means to lay aside. 157 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,840 Like if I were to take it, it also refers to removing one's 158 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,000 clothes. So if I were to take this jacket 159 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,560 off and I were to put it down, I would have lay it aside. 160 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:06,320 I would have cast it aside or throw it out in the street, 161 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:08,000 right? That's the idea here. 162 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,400 He says to put it away. Put away. 163 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,440 What tells us two things. Number one, put away all 164 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,840 filthiness. It's the only time this word is 165 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,080 used. It literally means dirt. 166 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:24,560 Dirt put away dirt, but it's used in a figurative sense, a 167 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:27,640 figurative sense. It's a state of moral defilement 168 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,800 or corruption, moral uncleanness or vulgarity. 169 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,040 That's the first one. Second one is rampant 170 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,360 wickedness. Put away rampant wickedness. 171 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:42,160 The word for rampant means that which is beyond what is regular 172 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:47,680 or what's expected. Surplus, abundance, and the word 173 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:51,080 for wickedness is the quality of state of wickedness, baseness, 174 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:55,560 depravity or vice. So James is making the same 175 00:11:55,560 --> 00:12:00,760 point that the apostle Paul several times. 176 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,720 Ephesians 422 They all use the same word, same word as put away 177 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:08,640 here. Ephesians 422 Put off your old 178 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:12,360 self. Literally take off, remove your 179 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,960 old self. Ephesians 425 to have you put 180 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:21,120 away falsehood or Colossians 38 where Paul says but now you must 181 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:26,400 put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander 182 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,120 and obscene talk. Look at 21B. 183 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,840 Receive with meekness the implanted word. 184 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,720 Receive with meekness the implanted word. 185 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:48,040 Notice here James doesn't say. As I'm going to keep stressing 186 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:51,000 this, it is so important that when we read God's Word, we not 187 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,840 only read what is there, but what is not there, right? 188 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:56,600 What is there, what is not there? 189 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:01,760 James doesn't say. Hear the implanted word. 190 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,760 That's not what he says. He says receive it. 191 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,200 This word for receive means to accept or welcome it, to be 192 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,600 receptive to it and notice how we are to receive it. 193 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,600 We are to receive it with meekness. 194 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,280 What does that word meekness mean? 195 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,280 This is one of my favorite Greek. 196 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,640 It might be my favorite Greek definition. 197 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,320 I love this definition. Here it is. 198 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:37,560 The quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of 1's self 199 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:40,760 importance. Man, that's a good definition. 200 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:47,600 The quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of 1's self 201 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,440 importance. That's what meekness is. 202 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,480 It basically what James is saying is that we are to receive 203 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:03,520 the word humbly, not just receive it, but humbly receive 204 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:04,880 it. Humbly receive what? 205 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,240 The implanted word, implanted word. 206 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,600 It's the only time this word implanted is used in the Bible. 207 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,200 It means to be permanently in a place with the implication of 208 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,960 development placed in permanently established in. 209 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,400 In other words, God puts it there, He implants it. 210 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,080 I may be the one who is speaking, but what will 211 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:29,520 determine whether this goes in your ear and out the other or 212 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:33,280 doesn't even reach your ears, or whether it actually goes into 213 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,720 your heart, stays there and accomplices is whether God 214 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,200 implants it. I don't implant it. 215 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:48,120 You don't implant it. God implants it and He intends 216 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:53,240 for it to stay there. What is implanted? 217 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,400 The word receive the implanted word. 218 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,480 The word word here can refer to any of God's word. 219 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,560 This is any exhortation. It's not just me. 220 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,200 Afterward we go to worship and community or you go out to lunch 221 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,240 and somebody exhorts you. Somebody gives you a prophecy or 222 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:10,480 word of encouragement or a rebuke. 223 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,480 Any, any word, any encouragement, exhortation, 224 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,800 teaching, rebuke, prophecy. If it is from God's word, he's 225 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:26,920 saying receive that with meekness 21-C which is able to 226 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:32,200 save your souls. Now we may think, what is the 227 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,520 motivation to receive with meekness right now? 228 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:39,360 What is your motivation to listen right now? 229 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,400 What is your motivation at lunch? 230 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,760 When you go to lunch with your brother or sister in the faith, 231 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,560 or you're on the car ride home and your spouse is talking to 232 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:54,400 you, or when you do anything after, what is your motivation 233 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,560 to receive what is being spoken to you? 234 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:03,040 It is this. It is able to save your soul. 235 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:06,760 Now, what does James mean by this? 236 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:09,800 We've already established that he's writing to Christians. 237 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:13,200 This is confirmed by his four uses of the word brothers 238 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,240 already. It's clear that he's writing to 239 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,200 Christian. So why does James, say, receive 240 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,200 the implanted word which is able to save you? 241 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:28,720 Aren't they already saved, right? 242 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,480 Maybe even this morning you might be thinking like, Pastor, 243 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,000 like every week I come here. You're so worked up, brother, 244 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:43,920 we're already saved. Chill out, we must remember that 245 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:49,640 the Bible talks of justification as a punctilier event, but it 246 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:54,080 talks of salvation as past, present, and future. 247 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:00,000 You were saved. Romans 824 For in this hope we 248 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,160 were saved. You are being saved. 249 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,839 First Corinthians 15 one to two. Now I would remind you, 250 00:17:05,839 --> 00:17:07,880 brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, what you 251 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:12,599 received and what you stand, and by which you are being saved. 252 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:18,079 And you will be saved for Timothy 416 Persist in this 253 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:23,280 young Timothy, for by doing so you will save both yourself and 254 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,800 your hearers. What James is saying is that the 255 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:35,360 implanted word does not simply justify us, it also keeps us. 256 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:40,440 It perseveres us to final salvation. 257 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:52,880 It is what keeps you from walking away and saying no 258 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,360 thanks, I don't want to do this anymore. 259 00:18:00,620 --> 00:18:03,420 We'll stop there. At exposition application of the 260 00:18:03,420 --> 00:18:09,780 text, I have 8 exhortations. 8 exhortations #1 Be quick to 261 00:18:09,780 --> 00:18:17,840 hear, especially when angry, hurt, offended, anxious, or even 262 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:23,960 bored. Be quick to hear especially when 263 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:29,320 angry, hurt, offended, anxious, or even bored. 264 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,080 I initially wrote this first point of application 265 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,720 differently. I wrote it differently. 266 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:37,960 What I originally wrote was this. 267 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,600 If we are going to have a quick trigger, let it be with our 268 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,600 ears, not our mouths. If we're going to have a quick 269 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,600 trigger, let it be with our ears, not our mouths. 270 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,400 But then when I read that, and as I thought about it, I 271 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:55,960 realized that these first two commands, be quick to hear and 272 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:01,600 slow to speak, are not something that our church struggles with, 273 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:07,040 generally speaking. I realize this is not something 274 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:10,360 that our church struggles with. Generally speaking. 275 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,280 We are typically very good at being quick to hear and being 276 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,680 slow to speak. We're typically very good at 277 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,320 that. But then I thought about it and 278 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,960 I asked myself, when are we not quick to hear? 279 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,080 When are we not? And I think this happens when we 280 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:40,160 are either angry or hurt or offended or anxious or even 281 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:45,480 bored. Emotions can function like a 282 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:49,400 sound machine, right? A sound machine that drowns out 283 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:55,120 our ability to hear properly. That's how emotions can work. 284 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,040 My wife has a very gentle voice. She has a very, very gentle 285 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,800 voice. And if there is any noise going 286 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,800 on in our house? It becomes difficult for me to 287 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:09,360 discern what she is saying. The problem is there is almost 288 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,640 always noise going on in her house. 289 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:17,640 We have 4 teenage sons. I can hear her speaking. 290 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,040 I mean I like I can hear that she is speaking. 291 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,640 I can hear that words are coming out, but I can't discern the 292 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,840 words that she is saying. I get bits and pieces right? 293 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:37,840 Emotions can function like this. We will listen to our spouses or 294 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:42,320 our roommates or our friends or church members or family 295 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:49,520 members. But if they make us angry, we 296 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:55,520 are not quick to hear. We are quick to feel and quick 297 00:20:55,520 --> 00:21:00,120 to react. The same is true if we get hurt 298 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:03,640 or offended. Sometimes the person who offends 299 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:08,200 us, they may even be explaining why they did what they did or 300 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,360 why they said what they said. But we are not quick to hear in 301 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:19,200 that moment and therefore we don't process what they're 302 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,400 saying. We just process our offence. 303 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,840 Or perhaps when we're anxious. How many times has something 304 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,480 been consuming your mind? Maybe you're anxious about work, 305 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:32,640 maybe you're anxious about school. 306 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,080 Maybe you're anxious about the girl you asked out last night. 307 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,120 Maybe you're you're anxious something's consuming your mind 308 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:42,160 and your friend or your spouse or your boss tells you something 309 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,000 and you're like, wait, wait, what? 310 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,320 Sorry, I wasn't listening. What'd you say? 311 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:56,600 Or even being bored. How many times in Sunday school 312 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:05,280 or Friday night or small group or the sermon do we space out, 313 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:13,720 doze off, or get distracted? And we're not quick to hear? 314 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,560 Quick to hear implies not only the quantity of our listening, 315 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:29,400 but also the quality. Don't let emotions and or 316 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:35,160 boredom become background white noise that keeps you from 317 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:42,800 listening well. Don't let your emotions, don't 318 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:49,880 let your boredom, don't let staying up to 4:00 AM keep you 319 00:22:49,880 --> 00:23:01,400 from listening well #2 Be slow to speak, especially when angry, 320 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:07,080 hurt, offended, anxious, bitter, or prideful. 321 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:12,960 Be slow to speak, especially when angry, hurt, offended, 322 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,960 anxious, bitter, or prideful. Again, I initially wrote this 323 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,720 point differently. My original point was this. 324 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,840 If you're going to procrastinate, let it be with 325 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:26,960 your mouth, not your ears. If you're going to 326 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,920 procrastinate, let it be with your mouth, not with your ears. 327 00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:33,080 But again, I thought about our church and I realized that we 328 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:37,800 are not quick to speak. In fact, what probably needs to 329 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,280 be stressed is the other side of the coin. 330 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,120 Be quick to speak when God calls you to speak. 331 00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:48,640 That side of the coin probably needs to be stressed at our 332 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:50,960 church. And so again I realized that 333 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:55,960 even though we are generally painted with a broad stroke here 334 00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:02,400 generally are slow to speak. Emotions can make all of us 335 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,880 quick to speak. You ever gotten angry at your 336 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:14,480 parents or your siblings or your spouse or your friend and you 337 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:21,960 said something you regretted? You've been hurt or offended and 338 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,880 rather let it be to your glory to overlook the offence. 339 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:34,080 We retaliated with our tongue. You ever been bitter about life 340 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,800 not going a certain way? This is not how I wanted it to 341 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,040 go. And we said unrighteous things 342 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,280 towards God or maybe towards another person. 343 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:48,200 Or you ever had pride well up in your heart only to overflow out 344 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,160 of our mouths like a broken oil rig? 345 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:59,760 One of the ways to solve this problem is to be slow to speak. 346 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:03,920 Now let's be clear, being slow to speak doesn't solve all 347 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,360 problems, right? You can be slow to complain. 348 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:11,960 You just complain in your heart. God hears it, so we're not 349 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,440 saying it solves all problems, but it does solve at least one 350 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:22,560 problem. Proverbs has many words about 351 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,760 the danger of words. Proverbs 1728. 352 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,720 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise. 353 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:34,040 Proverbs 10/19. When words are many, 354 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:36,720 transgression is not lacking, but whoever strains his lips is 355 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:38,880 prudent. Proverbs 33. 356 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:40,760 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life. 357 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,400 He who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 358 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,360 Proverbs 2123. Whoever keeps his mouth and 359 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:49,560 keeps his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 360 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:54,640 Martin Luther said speak only when you can improve upon 361 00:25:54,640 --> 00:26:00,680 silence. Church family Be slow to speak, 362 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:08,800 especially when angry or hurt or offended or bitter or prideful 363 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:19,200 #3 there is a time to be angry, and that time should be slow. 364 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:25,000 There is a time to be angry, and that time should be slow. 365 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,400 I think the reason that James has put this command here about 366 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,440 anger in the context of listening and speaking is 367 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,800 because being quick to anger leads to us being quick to speak 368 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,520 and slow to hear. I think one leads to the other. 369 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:40,920 I think they're they're connected here. 370 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,080 They're tied together. Nothing will open our mouths 371 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:49,920 quicker or close our ears faster than anger or frustration. 372 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:53,760 Notice James doesn't say don't be angry. 373 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,200 That's not what he says. He says be slow to anger. 374 00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:02,880 Meaning there is a time to be angry, but that time should be 375 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:08,640 slow. A few weeks ago, my, my glute 376 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,720 was hurting. I, I think I strained it or 377 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:13,280 something. And playing basketball, it had 378 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,800 been hurting for months. I mean, like, like maybe even a 379 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,400 year. By the way, it's better now. 380 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,440 Just thank you for praying. We pray for on a Friday night. 381 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,800 And it I, yeah, I just think that God answered your prayers. 382 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,720 So it's better now. But it had been hurting for 383 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:28,960 months. It had been hurting for like a 384 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:30,280 year. It was painful to sit. 385 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:33,440 I couldn't sit very long. It was painful when I play 386 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:35,360 basketball. It was painful when I worked 387 00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:37,280 out. Even if I just bent over to pick 388 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,560 up something, it was painful. I read online that applying heat 389 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,280 might help it. I tried ice. 390 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:46,240 That didn't seem to help. So I read online and said maybe 391 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:47,360 heat would work. So I tried that. 392 00:27:47,360 --> 00:27:52,920 So I pulled out our heating pad. I plugged it in, sat on it, and 393 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:59,200 I waited and waited and waited. And I thought, man, this thing 394 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:09,480 takes forever to heat up. That's how our anger should be. 395 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:18,480 It takes forever for our anger to heat up. 396 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:28,960 God has called us to have a long fuse, not a short fuse, to have 397 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,960 a slow trigger rather than a quick trigger, to go from zero 398 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:44,680 to 60 and hours, not seconds. There is a time to be angry, and 399 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:52,680 that time should be slow. Four, we are to be slow to anger 400 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:55,960 because our God is slow to anger. 401 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,840 We are to be slow to anger because our God is slow to 402 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:04,520 anger. Now, James doesn't make this 403 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,520 point right. I typically only take my points 404 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,360 from the text, but I wanted to include it here. 405 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:09,840 Even though James doesn't make this point. 406 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,960 And the reason I wanted to include it is because the world 407 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:16,840 can be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. 408 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,040 The world can do these things. There is nothing necessarily 409 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,080 Christian about being a person who does all three of these 410 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:26,320 commands. There's nothing necessarily 411 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:31,560 Christian about them, but the basis of why we do these 412 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:36,600 commands matters. We do them because they model 413 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:41,000 our God. Our God is quick to hear our 414 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,200 prayers. Our God is slow to speak 415 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:48,560 judgment and the reason he is slow to it is because he is slow 416 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:53,040 to anger. I find it fascinating that one 417 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,360 of the critiques of atheists and secularists alike is that the 418 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,880 God of the Old Testament is an angry God. 419 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:04,360 That will almost universally all humanists and and secularists 420 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:07,320 and and an atheist will say that the that they don't like 421 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:09,680 Christianity because the God of the Old Testament is an angry 422 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:11,560 God. And yet that is not the 423 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,320 perspective of God's people in the Old Testament. 424 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,520 Listen to what God's people say and what they testify in their 425 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,120 writings. Exodus 34. 426 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:23,840 Six. The Lord the Lord, a God, 427 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:28,640 merciful and gracious. Slow to anger, Numbers 1418. 428 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:33,080 The Lord is slow to anger. Nehemiah 917. 429 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,800 But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful. 430 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,720 Slow to anger. Psalm 8615. 431 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,600 But you, O Lord, are a God, merciful and gracious. 432 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,000 Slow to anger. Psalm 1O38 The Lord is merciful 433 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,800 and gracious. Slow to anger. 434 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,280 Psalm 145 Eight The Lord is gracious and merciful. 435 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:59,440 Slow to anger. Joel 213 Return to the Lord your 436 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:01,520 God, for he is gracious and merciful. 437 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:05,960 Slow to anger. Jonah 4/2 For I knew that you 438 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,400 are gracious God and merciful. Slow to anger. 439 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:14,080 Nahum 1/3 The Lord is slow to anger. 440 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:27,320 I don't see an angry God. I see a God who is slow to 441 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:34,800 anger. And if that doesn't do it for 442 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,960 you, I don't know that this will either. 443 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:45,440 But it does it for me because when I look at my life and I 444 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,680 consider how many sins I've committed and man, I, I know 445 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,080 many of you are very moral. You grew up in a moral family 446 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,760 And, and I, I didn't, I was not a moral person. 447 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,160 I, I don't even know that I would still say I'm moral. 448 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,400 When I look at my life and I consider how many sins I've 449 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:07,640 committed and then I consider how good my life is. 450 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:18,960 It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense, and 451 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:25,440 the only way I can make any sense of it is that God is slow 452 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:37,000 to anger. He must be slow to anger because 453 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:45,800 my life shouldn't be this good. The reason we are called to be 454 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:50,800 slow to anger is because our God is slow to anger. 455 00:32:54,000 --> 00:33:02,000 Five, Anger typically makes us more unlike God than like God. 456 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:08,400 Anger typically makes us more unlike God than like God. 457 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:15,360 Psychology in the 20th and 21st century has influenced the way 458 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,920 people think in ways that we can't even quantify. 459 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,440 If you look back, I mean, you could do a study on this. 460 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,200 If you look at like how psychology in the 20th century 461 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:28,200 started, maybe even in the 19th century, but in the 20th century 462 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:31,560 and 21st century, it is influenced the way that we think 463 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:33,520 in ways that we can't even quantify. 464 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:34,880 This is true even for the church. 465 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:41,120 One of the ways that this is true is how we see emotions like 466 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,960 frustration or anger or anxiety or fear. 467 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:54,480 I asked ChatGPT, Can you give me a summary of the different ways 468 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:59,240 that secular counseling treats anger versus biblical 469 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,280 counseling? Now, there are even three 470 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:03,760 different categories. There's secular counseling, 471 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:05,480 there's Christian counseling, and then there's biblical 472 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:07,840 counseling. These are these are three I just 473 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,400 asked you to compare. Give me a summary of how secular 474 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:14,280 counseling treats anger and how biblical counseling treats 475 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,440 anger. This was the summary table for 476 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:20,800 the source of anger. Secular counseling says it is 477 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,400 primarily psychological and due to trauma. 478 00:34:24,679 --> 00:34:28,400 For biblical counseling, it is due to a sinful heart and a 479 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:32,480 spiritual condition. For the goal of anger. 480 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,520 For the goal of this, For secular counseling, the goal is 481 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:41,360 emotional regulation. For biblical counseling, it is 482 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:46,840 heart transformation and obedience techniques. 483 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,080 Secular counseling, Cognitive behavioral therapy. 484 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:56,679 Mindfulness and coping strategies for biblical 485 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:00,160 counseling. Scripture, prayer, repentance, 486 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:06,680 accountability, and the ultimate measure of success for secular 487 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,640 counseling. Calmer emotions, better 488 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,680 relationships for biblical counseling, God, honorary 489 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:20,040 responses, sanctification. Another way to summarize this. 490 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,600 You can summarize this with this just this for secular 491 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:29,240 counseling. Anger is a part of us that must 492 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:33,720 be regulated. Anger is a part of us that must 493 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,800 be regulated For biblical counseling. 494 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,200 Anger is a sin that must be killed. 495 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:48,240 Now, the typical response to this might be, yeah, yeah, OK. 496 00:35:48,720 --> 00:35:50,560 But even the Bible says that we should get angry. 497 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:55,760 Paul writes Ephesians 426. Be angry and do not sin. 498 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:58,880 That's even a command there. Be angry. 499 00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:04,640 You are commanded to be angry and do not sin. 500 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:09,920 And I would say that's absolutely true, 100% true. 501 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:14,480 And then 5 verses later Paul writes let all bitterness and 502 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,680 wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you. 503 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,520 He says be angry, do not sin. And then 5 verses later he says 504 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:27,640 put it all away. Now, how do we make sense of 505 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:32,920 this? As James writes, the anger of 506 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:37,120 man does not produce the righteousness of God. 507 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:42,360 Or in other words, anger typically makes us more unlike 508 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:49,640 God than it does like God. You see, anger is a lot like 509 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:54,240 dynamite. It's very useful, it's very 510 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:57,920 effective, but it's not something you want lying around 511 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:05,680 your house. Anger typically makes us more 512 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:14,360 unlike God than like God. Six Take off your old clothes 513 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:24,400 and donate them to Mr. Goodwill. Take off your old clothes and 514 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:29,840 donate them to Mr. Goodwill, James writes. 515 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:34,800 Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant 516 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,440 wickedness. The verb put away, it's 517 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:38,960 typically used in the clothing sense. 518 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:40,800 It literally means like to take off your clothes. 519 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:42,920 That's how it's literally used. And then it's figuratively used 520 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,160 in other senses. You ever kept old clothes that 521 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:48,360 don't fit you anymore, right. If you go to your closet or your 522 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:50,640 wardrobe or your drawers, you ever you ever had clothes that 523 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,080 don't fit you anymore? Either you gained weight and the 524 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,360 clothes like are too small for you now or they're too tight and 525 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:59,440 they don't fit you anymore or you, you, you lost weight and 526 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:01,480 the clothes are too big or too baggy for you. 527 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:04,360 What should we do in those moments? 528 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,080 Well, we probably should go through our closet and donut 529 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:10,160 this clothes to goodwill unless I, I well, I guess if you gained 530 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:13,480 weight, maybe you should lose weight and give it a give it a 531 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:18,320 shot. But you know, I don't know, but 532 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:23,080 it's probably a good idea to to go through and say if I'm not 533 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:27,440 wearing this, this doesn't fit me anymore, probably never will. 534 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,920 Should donate it. In the same way James is saying, 535 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:38,360 brothers and sisters, filthiness and rampant wickedness, they 536 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:44,160 don't fit you anymore. They don't fit you anymore. 537 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:50,800 Christ has given you a new heart, a new spirit and a new 538 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:55,360 wardrobe. And these old rags that you used 539 00:38:55,360 --> 00:39:01,840 to wear, they don't fit anymore. So take them off and donate 540 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:07,000 them. Now, one of the questions I had 541 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,720 with this is what is the connection here, right? 542 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:14,680 Like he, we're talking about listening and hearing and 543 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:17,600 speaking and anger. And then he talks about 544 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:21,800 filthiness and wickedness and he talks about receiving the word. 545 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:23,520 And I'm like, what's the connection here? 546 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:25,960 It doesn't seem connected. Here's how I think it's 547 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:30,480 connected in this passage. These old clothes that we used 548 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,040 to wear, filthiness and wickedness, these old clothes, 549 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:39,960 they make it difficult, if not impossible to receive the 550 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:45,200 implanted word. Let me switch metaphors for just 551 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,080 a minute here. In the next line, Paul exhorts 552 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,800 the church to receive the implanted word with meekness. 553 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:56,280 But to do that becomes difficult, if not impossible, if 554 00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:01,680 we have the wrong kind of soil. You see, you can take a handful 555 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:03,760 of seed. You can, you can gather a whole 556 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:06,440 handful of seed and you can plant it. 557 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:11,320 You can water it. You can till it, you can 558 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:17,160 fertilize it, you can weed it, but if it is planted and sand 559 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:28,320 rather than soil, it won't grow. The seed needs soil, it needs 560 00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:36,120 nutrient rich soil. Sometimes people will tell me, I 561 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,360 don't feel like I get much out of my time with the Word. 562 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:40,920 Now you keep telling me, pastor, I read my Bible every week I 563 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:42,280 read it. I don't think I can get much out 564 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:44,200 of it. I don't think I can get much out 565 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:47,920 of the sermon. I mean, every now and then you 566 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:49,960 tell a funny joke or a funny story, that's about it. 567 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:52,280 I don't think I can get much out of the sermon. 568 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:56,400 I I just don't feel like I can get much out of it. 569 00:40:58,120 --> 00:41:02,360 My first thought is this. How was your soil? 570 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:14,560 How is your soil? Have you put away filthiness and 571 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:25,590 rampant wickedness in your life? Because if not, me preaching to 572 00:41:25,590 --> 00:41:29,270 you is about as effective as planning an orange tree on the 573 00:41:29,270 --> 00:41:37,370 beach in the sand. Seven. 574 00:41:38,850 --> 00:41:41,010 It is not enough to listen to the word. 575 00:41:41,410 --> 00:41:43,490 We must receive it with meekness. 576 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:45,960 It is not enough to listen to the word. 577 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:47,960 We must receive it with meekness. 578 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:51,120 Notice James doesn't say and listen to the implanted word. 579 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:52,520 It's not what he says. He writes. 580 00:41:52,720 --> 00:41:56,480 Receive with meekness the implanted word. 581 00:41:57,360 --> 00:41:58,920 Receive with meekness, implanted word. 582 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,000 Alec Mott, you're a commentator, writes this. 583 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,760 It is possible to be unfailingly regular and Bible reading, but 584 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,640 to achieve no more than to have moved the bookmark forward. 585 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:15,760 Man. Likewise, it is possible to be 586 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:20,080 unfailingly regular and church attendance, but to achieve no 587 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:21,680 more than to have warmed the chair. 588 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:32,160 James calls us to receive the Word with meekness. 589 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:37,000 There are two parts here to receive and meekness. 590 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:39,800 Let me take this one at a time. There is a difference between 591 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,560 listening and receiving. There is a difference. 592 00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:45,640 They're not the same. I can listen to what you're 593 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:49,360 saying, right? Fred can tell me something and I 594 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,680 can listen to him. I can listen very well, but I 595 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:58,240 can reject it out of pride or indifference or anger. 596 00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:05,480 I just reject it out of hand. As a pastor, I can't tell you 597 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:08,440 how many times I have said something. 598 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:11,600 I've been here for 14 1/2 years now, preached a lot. 599 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,840 You count up Sunday school sermon Friday night. 600 00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:19,840 I can't tell you how many times I've said something. 601 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,800 And as I look out and I see somebody, I can see that they 602 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:26,640 are visibly angry at what I just said. 603 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:32,960 Visibly. Other times I look out and I I 604 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:37,280 can see that somebody is visibly apathetic to what I just said, 605 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:48,890 don't care about it at all. To receive the word is to be 606 00:43:48,890 --> 00:43:55,050 hospitable to it, to make a room for it, and to invite it to stay 607 00:43:55,050 --> 00:44:00,890 the night. It's not to treat the word as 608 00:44:00,930 --> 00:44:04,090 ants in the house, pests that need to be kicked out. 609 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:09,960 You read this word and it comes across something that you don't 610 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,320 want to hear, and it's just like a pest in your ear. 611 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:15,960 And it's like, stop, I don't want to hear that. 612 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:25,600 I don't need to hear that. James says to receive it with 613 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:28,840 meekness. I realized that anger and 614 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:30,480 apathy, they're both forms of pride. 615 00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:33,680 They're both anger, and they're both. 616 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:39,040 To be angry at the truth of God's Word is to suggest that we 617 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:45,120 know better, which is pride. To be apathetic at the truth of 618 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:50,800 God's Word, it's to suggest that we don't need it, which is 619 00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:56,560 prideful. You see, meekness is becoming 620 00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:01,520 like one of the little dogs that sits under the children's table 621 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:07,720 and is desperate to receive whatever crumbs will be given 622 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:15,470 it. Eight last point. 623 00:45:16,990 --> 00:45:20,870 The Word is not just what justifies us, it is also what 624 00:45:20,870 --> 00:45:25,630 God uses to persevere us. The Word is not just what 625 00:45:25,630 --> 00:45:29,950 justifies us, it is also what God uses to persevere us. 626 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:33,440 James is exhorting. He is not exhort. 627 00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:38,400 He is not exhorting lost people to receive the implanted word 628 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:41,400 which is able to save them. He's not exhorting lost people 629 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:46,120 to receive this. He is exhorting Christians to 630 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:49,280 receive the implanted word which is able to save them. 631 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:53,600 In other words, this implanted word is not only what justifies 632 00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:57,440 them, it is also what God uses to persevere them unto 633 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:00,600 salvation. Think of it like this. 634 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:05,680 If we were flat lined, right? No, no heartbeat, not breathing. 635 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:10,880 We flat lined and somebody came to us and they breathe oxygen 636 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:15,360 into our lungs. That oxygen did not only make us 637 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:20,160 alive, but we must continue to breathe that oxygen in order to 638 00:46:20,160 --> 00:46:23,960 live. There never comes a day that I 639 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:27,640 don't need this oxygen. It didn't just make me alive. 640 00:46:27,720 --> 00:46:31,040 I must continue to breathe it in order to live. 641 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:36,680 Likewise, when we heard the gospel, when you were 6 or 16 or 642 00:46:36,680 --> 00:46:41,120 26 and you heard the gospel, it breathed life into your dead 643 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:44,320 souls. But our souls must continue to 644 00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:47,200 breathe the gospel in order to live. 645 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:53,800 I receive this word with meekness, not because it makes 646 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:57,920 my life better, but because it makes my life. 647 00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:04,240 The gospel is not simply my ticket into heaven. 648 00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:09,320 It provides the very legs to even walk there. 649 00:47:13,640 --> 00:47:18,000 Receive this word. Hold fast to it. 650 00:47:24,280 --> 00:47:28,640 Because it will keep you on the path that leads to final 651 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:32,920 salvation. Let's pray.