GIST: Be a true listener who isn’t easily angered, by purging evil from your life & humbly clinging to His saving truth!
SCRIPTURE: James 1:19-21
I went back and forth on how much to cover in each service today, but Thursday after school, it became very clear what I was supposed to cover this morning. I don’t know if there was something in the water, but I encountered a lot of, well, sassy people this week. Honestly, I don’t think I handled all of them as well as I should have, so as I was praying before coming into the house Thursday afternoon, after an especially sassiness-filled day, Jesus brought these first verses to mind, and I had no doubt that this was a message I needed to digest all by itself. Look at verses 19-21. I have a feeling they’ll hit home for many of you, as well.
“19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
This section is incredibly practical...and really hard to actually put into practice. I’ve adapted it as a sign hanging in my classroom that reads: “Want to avoid drama? Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” Imagine what this world would be like if we all lived like that? But we don’t. After telling us to face trials with joy and to seek wisdom from God who doesn’t lead us to evil but rather is the source of all good, James tells us that we’ve been deliberately rescued by God, so we could be set apart as His. Now, he’s moving into a section that breaks down what that will look like. One commentary I referenced said verse 19 could function as a kind of outline for the rest of the letter. James’ major point is that true faith is lived. This is a snapshot of what that looks like: being quick to hear and, by implication, obey and slow to both speech and anger. Naturally, I’m not good at any of that. Therefore, this might just be a sermon I need to hear, but just in case you’re in the same boat, we’ll cover this together ☺️.
Here’s our gist: Be a true listener who isn’t easily angered, by purging evil from your life & humbly clinging to His saving truth! Let’s dive in.
I. BE A TRUE LISTENER (19A)
“19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak…”
Notice that James starts this section by essentially saying: take this in, dear friends. This isn’t some cold set of rules for us to follow so that we can make ourselves better people. This is heartfelt instruction from God’s inspired Word about what it looks like when we’ve been changed by Jesus. What’s pointed out first? That we should→
Be Eager Listeners. I think as a whole, this is not in our nature. People tend to be really good at noticing when others aren’t listening to them and far less good at noticing the same shortcomings in themselves. Think about it like this. How often do husbands and wives, or even friends for that matter, get into heated arguments because one side or the other doesn’t feel like they’re being heard? How often is that problem one sided? Pretty much never. Often, both parties are equally guilty, but they’re blind to their own responsibilities. Or think about this, and this one hurts me, how often do we scold our children for not listening to us? (Some of us more than others I’m sure…) Now, how often do we ignore them?
A transformed Christian life is a life lived with ears wide open. So...what are we supposed to be listening to? I’d say the answer to that is at least twofold. First and foremost, the answer is God’s Word. When you look at the context, you’ll see this fits with the case James is building. Just before this section we’re told we’ve been given life by His Word of Truth. Right after this section, we’re told not to just be hearers of the Word. So, a defining feature of a true Christian is one who eagerly takes in God’s Word. You know where I’m going with this, right? If we’re being quick to hear His Word, do you think it will be something we just sometimes pay attention to? It can’t be. If we’re eager listeners, it means we’ll be going out of our way all the time to hear what His word says. Read it. Listen to it being taught well. Long to know His Word more.
However, I don’t think we’d be taking too much of a jump to say we’re meant to be listening to others, as well. James spends a lot of time, even within these next verses, talking about the importance of interacting with the people around us like Jesus would. Now, we’re not listening to their words the same way we listen to Scripture. Their words aren’t the guidance by which we live. Yet, we cannot be faithful Christians if we ignore those around us. There are people Jesus puts in your path every single day with deep needs. Are you eagerly trying to listen to them, to see them as Jesus does, to serve them with the gifts you’ve been given? That’s the first observation: be an eager listener. Here’s the second→
Keep Your Mouth Shut ☺️. Well, not all the time. I mean, we’re called to proclaim the gospel, and that will require opening our mouths! However, being quick to speak in this context is talking without thinking or talking without taking time to listen. James will end up devoting a lot of time to issues of a tongue later, but for right now let’s just look at this broadly. Honestly, this hits me hard. Not only have I always had plenty to say ☺️, but I also talk...for a living. As a high school English teacher and a pastor, I am literally up in front of people talking six days a week. Add into this the times I’m coaching little kids, and my vocal chords never take any days off ☺️. So, this touches really close to home. I have not always been slow to speak in my life. In fact, my senior year of high school, I was voted most opinionated… and I only went to that school for one year!
Now, I know God has worked on me a lot over the years. However, because I see my weakness here, the most convicting part of John Bunyan’s allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, has always been the scene with the character named Talkative. He’s a man who looks great from a distance, but is less and less impressive the closer they come. He’s a man who loves to speak, but his words are meaningless because that’s all they ever are… just words. He talks, but there is no substance to his life. I imagine this touches close to home for others in this room, as well. Let me just make two quick observations. First, →
Don’t Be A Rambler Who Doesn’t Listen. Probably about twelve years ago on a Saturday night, I was getting ready to preach the Sunday morning service for Brother Gabe, and I still had no idea what I was going to preach on. I had been flipping through my Bible for quite some time and trying, in my own strength, to work something out. It wasn’t working. I was sort of praying that whole time, but really I was just talking at God, so I can’t say I was really praying because I wasn’t listening. I ended up grabbing my guitar and singing these words:
Lord, I need to hear Your voice tonight.
But sometimes I talk too much to understand what You’re trying to say.
My mind is working like a soundproof room.
So bust through these walls. I need to talk to You.
I was rambling, but I wasn’t listening. So to all my fellow gab-gifted-ones: we can’t afford to let our words get in the way of hearing His, and we can’t afford to do this to others either. People need to hear God’s Word, so be quick to point them to Jesus but not to talk over them. Second→
Don’t Be A Rambler Whose Words Abuse. Sometimes being quick to speak means quick to put your foot in your mouth or quick to say what you immediately regret. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should. I have heard people say they wish they were quicker on their toes. They envy those who always seem to have a snappy response to others. However, those quick responses might lead to more harm than what they’re worth, especially when they’re biting...which kind of feeds into the next point. Be a true listener→
II. WHO ISN’T EASILY ANGERED (19B-20)
As usual, I went long on that first point, so I will try and conserve here ☺️. Look at this next section. “[be] slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Have you gotten angry this week? Probably. You might have even gotten angry during this sermon ☺️. Let me just make a couple of observations here. First, →
Our Anger Isn’t Naturally Righteous. I feel like I need to lead with this because too often Christians try to justify selfish anger by calling it righteous indignation. People love to reference Jesus flipping over tables and verses about being angry and not sinning, but they often ignore the context of those passages. We should hate sin like God hates sin. If, however, our anger is directed toward sinful people, we need to check our motives before we start trying to call that righteous. For God, who is perfectly holy, being righteously angry is natural because His motives are never tainted by sin. I’m not God and neither are you. We are at our core still sinful. Though it is completely God-honoring to find sin detestable, we must remember that our anger (the anger of man) in no way adds to His righteousness. Since many of us are still struggling to be even remotely righteous, it is probably best not to attempt to produce righteous anger. Love God. Love people. Let that guide your life. Second→
Anger Comes In Many Forms. I don’t know how you get angry. Maybe you kick and scream and throw stuff. If so, it’s probably pretty easy for you to see how that is destructive and dishonoring to God. Yet, anger can take much more subtle forms, as well. In our culture, we tend to be so defensive...and I can be the worst. As a kid, I would argue with my mom about...well, pretty much anything. I never won, but I never felt like I lost either. Why? Because I was convinced that I was justified in my actions, and I knew one day this little man was going to take down the giant of parental control! It never happened, but not from lack of trying. I never screamed. I never threw anything. But… I was still angry, and I used my tongue to try to get my way. Though I’ve come a long way since being voted most opinionated in high school, I still see this in my heart. At school when a student is especially disrespectful or when I’m on a phone call with someone exceptionally dismissive, oh how easy it is to slip back into trying to use my words to cut in and win. Where’s the grace in that? Where’s the heart that longs to see even those who slap me come to know the rescue of Jesus? The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. And lastly, let’s just look at the→
Audience of Our Anger. Let’s quickly address the people who most often land on the receiving end of our wrath—family. There’s not an exception clause here. It doesn’t say be slow to anger, unless you’re kids aren’t listening well, or unless your spouse is pushing your buttons, or unless… you’re just tired and grumpy and want to be left alone! Guard your flock guys. I need to hear that as much as you.
So, we need to be quick to listen and slow to both speech and anger. Here’s how→
III. BY PURGING EVIL & HUMBLY CLINGING TO TRUTH (21)
Look at this last verse with me. “21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” We could camp out here for another sermon, but I won’t do that to you guys. Let’s walk through it together. First, it says to→
Put Away. That means to deliberately get rid of something. We’re not just storing it for later. And what are we getting rid of? →
Filthiness & Rampant Wickedness. This is the opposite of God’s righteousness which He covers us in when He rescues us from it. However, we’re still sinners, and we still have junk in our lives that makes it hard to be true listeners who are slow to anger. We don’t wink at those things. We’re aggressive and intentional. That stuff is destroying you; throw it out! In its place→
Receive. That means to take in. Again, we’re given an opposite here. We throw out the sin that’s destroying us and receive→
Humbly. That’s what meekness implies here. Remember, this grace is underserved. Humility is the attitude that is reflected in quick hearing and slow speaking and slow angering☺️. So we humbly receive→
The Implanted Word. This is God’s Word that grows in you. And as we’ll see more tonight, this isn’t just the product of hearing it, but actually letting it transform our lives. Throw out sin and take in His truth. Let it get in deep and change who you are, as you’re no longer your own but His. Then, rejoice as you experience→
Salvation! When we’re humbly clinging to Jesus as our savior, we’ll be in the right state of mind to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger… because we’ll be being made more and more in His image!
Let’s recap in our→
TAKEAWAYS
1. Be A True Listener. An eager listener with a closed mouth.
2. Who Isn’t Easily Angered.
3. By Purging Evil & Humbly Clinging To Truth.
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