James 1:19–27

Review – How to have wisdom …

• JOY because of TRIALS…
  • When we FALL into various TRIALS – TEMPTATIONS…
  • KNOWING – that the testing of our faith produces patience!
  • WISDOM for TRIALS…
  • There are TWO very different kinds of WISDOM – from ABOVE and from BELOW…
  • We MUST ask the Lord for WISDOM from ABOVE – and He WILL give it freely to us…
  • But we NEED to ask in faith [trust] – doubting NOTHING…
  • Those who doubt are double minded will not get ANTYTHING from the Lord!
  • REWARD from TRIALS…
  • OH HOW HAPPY – is the man who endures TEMPTATIONS…
    • When we go through trials / temptations [same word] we WILL learn to endure [abide]…
    • When we endure – we WILL receive a crown of life – speaking of our salvation!
  • Temptations DO NOT come from God…
    • God cannot be tempted by evil – and he does not temp anyone with evil…
    • We are tempted by our own desires – and we are deceived…
    • DO NOT – be deceived my beloved brethren – IMPERATIVE!
    • Every good perfect God comes down from the Father of Lights!
    • Who brought us forth by the Word of Truth – that we might bear fruit!

Answer in TRIALS… [3 points]

• 1^st – Listen to the Word… vs. 19-21
  • 1^st – Slow to SPEAK… vs. 19
    • Since we LACK wisdom from ABOVE…
    • And we are in constant danger of falling into TEMPTATION…
    • So then my beloved brethren…
    • Let [imperative] every man be swift to hear – slow to speak – slow to wrath!
    • We used to say – sticks and stones…
    • It turns out names are far more devastating than stones…
    • If you get hit by a stone – the wound will heal rather quickly – not so much with words…
    • There are things people said to me when I was a child that I STILL remember!
    • They leave scars that NEVER go away – words are POWERFUL!
    • Words are WEAPONS…
    • When we are not happy – we can use cutting words designed to cause maximum damage…
    • You have heard the old saying – if you have nothing good to say – say nothing…
    • Because we will have to answer one day for every idle word – Matthew 12:36
    • Ecclesiastes 3:7 – “There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…”
    • It has been well said that God wisely designed us with TWO ears and ONE mouth…
    • Because we should be listening at least TWICE as much as we are talking!
    • The problem is that often open our MOUTHS – when we should be opening our EARS!
    • Do not throw out words carelessly – it ends up costing us dearly…
    • Better to think first about what we are going to say – the consequence of our words…
    • It is easy to say something – it is almost impossible to take our words back!
    • Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth…”
  • 2^nd – Slow to WRATH… vs. 20
    • The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God…
    • James gives us a hint on what happens if we ARE NOT slow to speak…
    • There will be WRATH – because words do SO MUCH damage…
    • And those wounds that we inflict on others – when our words PROVOKE anger…
    • Those DO NOT lead to the righteousness of God – just the opposite…
    • They take us down a path of BITTERNESS – which SEPARATES us from God!
    • Wrath – leads to bitterness…
    • Jesus said if we are ANGRY with someone is equivalent to murder – Matthew 5:21-22
    • Therefore if we are ANGRY with someone – deal with it before the sunsets…
    • Talk to the person we are upset with – before our ANGRY turns to BITTERNESS…
    • BITTERNESS which becomes HATRED – HATRED that will begin to control our life!
    • I have unfortunately too often let the SUN GO DOWN on an argument…
    • Now while I can sleep like a baby when that happens – my wife has suffered…
    • Time DOES NOT make it easier to deal with hurts – in contrast it lets them fester!
    • If we try and ignore a problem – we give an opportunity to satan…
    • Satan would love to cause division in our families – in church – bitterness and hate…
    • Do not let satan rob us of the forgiveness and joy Jesus has provided…
    • If we are upset with someone because of something they said – talk about it today!
    • II Corinthians 2:11 – “lest Satan should take advantage of us…”
  • 3^rd – Receive the Word… vs. 21
    • Therefore – lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness…
    • Do not miss INEVITABLE result of WRATH…
    • All filthiness [only here NT] – to make DIRTY…
    • Overflowing wickedness – super abundant evil!
    • [Instead] Receive with meekness the implanted word…
    • Notice that we are given a solution to filthiness / wickedness…
    • SET ASIDE these things – by RECEIVING [imperative]…
    • What MUST we RECEIVE – the engrafted [written on our hearts] Word!
    • Hebrews 12:1 – “Lay aside [same word] every weight – the sin which so easily ensnares us – let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus…”
    • Which is able to save your souls…
    • SOUL [ψυχή] – speaking of our MIND / EMOTIONS…
    • ABLE [δύναμαι] – we can almost speak into English – dynamite / power…
    • The implication is the Word has the POWER to change our MIND / HEART!
    • Change our heart to allow us to let go of ANGER/ BITTERNESS – and FORGIVE!
    • The COMMAND to forgive…
    • How often do we have to forgive others – 70×7 – Matthew 18:22
    • With a little quick math we can figure out that is 490 times…
    • But Jesus was not giving us a number – He was giving us a Bible reference…
    • 70×7 is a very special number only used once in the Bible!
    • Daniel 9:24 – “A period of seventy sets of seven [70×7] has been decreed… to bring an end to sin, to atone for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness….”
    • How often are we to forgive someone when they hurt us – EVERY time!
    • What if they keep committing the same sin – then we keep forgiving…
    • Is there ever any reason when we do not to forgive – not even one!
    • The REASON we forgive…
    • With WRATH in our hearts – God does not hear our prayers – Mark 11:25
    • AND if we are not willing to FORGIVE – God will not forgive us – Matthew 6:15
    • When we are hurt by others – and REFUSE to FORGIVE – it plants a seed in our heart…
    • It can quickly grow into BITTERNESS – we become consumed by the hurt they caused…
    • Its roots can grow down deep – poisoning and hardening – SEPARATING us from God…
    • The FRUIT in our life makes us BITTER – and eventually brings spiritual DEATH!
    • The only solution – RECEIVE the WORD…
    • Jesus can CHANGE our hearts – and allow us to let go of filthiness and wickedness…
    • Forgiveness is not just for the one who did us wrong – it is also for us…
    • He sets us free – we do not dwell on the past – we get to move forward in Jesus!
    • John 8:36 – “If the Son makes you free – you shall be free indeed.”
• 2^nd – Obey the Word… vs. 22-25
  • 1^st – Doers of the Word… vs. 22
    • Be [imperative] doers of the word – and not hearers only…
    • DOER – [ποιητής] – used THREE times in the next THREE verses – IMPORTANT!
    • It is not enough to just LISTEN to what the Bible says – we need to OBEY!
    • We can read our Bibles – we might even agree with everything it says…
    • But if we do not OBEY the commands – then what benefit did it have!
    • I took a boat ride in India – SIX hundred people in a boat built for TWO hundred!
    • Before it left – they gave safety instructions – what to do if the boat sank – I paid attention!
    • The gist of the instructions was to get out of the boat – and swim for it…
    • But all that information meant nothing – because most of the people could not swim!
    • The Bible is not a textbook we must learn – it is an instruction manual to follow…
    • We can know all words – but if it does not change our actions – it means nothing!
    • Deceiving yourselves…
    • DECEIVING – [παραλογίζομα] – we can speak the word into English – LOGIC…
    • Too many people try to use JUSTIFY the BITTERNESS in their lives with LOGIC…
    • I am the way I am because of what has happened to me – what people did to me…
    • As a RESULT they are DECEIVED – they miss the POWER of Jesus to set them free!
    • I know a lot of people who know about Jesus – but do not DO what He says…
    • Unfortunately for them – it does them no good – knowledge does not save us…
    • We cannot stand before God one day and say – I knew what Jesus wanted me to do!
    • How to OBEY…
    • Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship…”
    • WORKMANSHIP – [ποίημα] – same exact word translated as DOER…
    • It is not that we must DO what the Bible says – that would come from us…
    • We come to Jesus – who changes us HEARTS – and He makes us a DOER of the Word!
  • 2^nd – The mirror… vs. 23-24
    • If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer…
    • He is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror…
    • There are two ways that we can approach the Bible…
    • It can either be an INSTRUCTION manual – or it can be a MIRROR…
    • The person who does not OBEY the INSTRUCTIONS – treats the Bible like a MIRROR!
    • When I get up on the morning – I DO NOT like mirrors…
    • They are TOO honest – they tell me EXACTLY what I look like…
    • But I find the solution to the mirror – is to walk away – then I can forget what I saw!
    • That is exactly what happens to the man who does not OBEY…
    • For he observes himself – goes away – and immediately forgets what kind of man he was…
    • When he LOOKS at the Word – he sees his NATURAL face…
    • NATURAL [γένεσις] – original – we might say REAL…
    • But the moment he puts the Bible down – he always CHOSES [active] to walk away!
    • FORGET come from the root word – [λανθάνω] to HIDE – an intentional act!
    • That way he gets to go on with living his life HIS way!
    • He goes back to the same broken life he had before he read the Bible!
    • He is the same kind of man he was [imperfect] before he heard the Word – NO CHANGE!
    • When we first come to Jesus – we are not going to understand much of the Bible…
    • There is a LOT about the Word of God we will not comprehend…
    • But we should not stay that way – as we get into the Word – we should CHANGE…
    • When a believer whose been saved for TWENTY years – is still living for this world…
    • It is a tragedy – they never became DOERS of the WORD – they never matured in their faith!
  • 3^rd – The law of liberty… vs. 25
    • He who looks into the perfect law of liberty…
    • The person who LOOKS into the perfect Law of Liberty…
    • The word LOOK here – is NOT the same word as OBSERVE in verse 24…
    • The word LOOK here means to do more than glance – it means to bow down an inspect!
    • It carries the idea of being VERY interested in the topic we are examining…
    • Recognizing its importance and giving it the proper RESPECT it deserves!
    • Continues in it – and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work…
    • This one will be blessed in what he does!
    • CONTINUES [παραμένω] – to ABIDE in the Word…
    • So often people do NOT want to OBEY the Bible – because they want to be FREE…
    • They do not want to be told what to do – they want to have the CHOICE…
    • But true FREEDOM is not being left to our own devises – that is BONDAGE!
    • FREEDOM comes from the PERFECT [complete] Law of LIBERTY…
    • The word LIBERTY comes from the root word to be FREE BORN…
    • In Rome there were only TWO kinds of people – SLAVES and CITIZENS…
    • Do not miss the point – those who ignore the Bible are SLAVES to sin – Romans 6:16
    • But those who continue – ABIDE – in the PERFECT law of LIBERTY…
    • Not forgetting what they HEAR – but are DOERS – they BLESSED…
    • Because they become CITIZENS of the kingdom – FREE from sin!
    • A good example to illustrate this – sheep and goats…
    • If you set a sheep right next to a goat – you might not know which is which…
    • Do not look very different – they do not sound very different – eat the same things…
    • They live side by side – experiencing much the same life…
    • But the final destination of the goats is very different from the sheep!
    • The one who can always tell them apart is their shepherd!
    • John 10:27 – “My sheep hear My voice – and I know them – and they follow [OBEY] Me.”
    • Both sheep and goats hear Jesus voice – but only the sheep OBEY!
    • Hearing does not make us a Christian – obeying Jesus makes us a sheep!
• 3^rd – Fulfill the Word… vs. 26-27
  • 1^st – Useless religion… vs. 26
    • If anyone among you thinks he is religious – and does not bridle his tongue…
    • But deceives his own heart – this one’s religion is useless!
    • WHAT does being a HEARER and DOER of the Word looks like…
    • If anyone THINKS they are RELIGIOUS – by context meaning a HEARER and DOER…
    • But they do not BRIDLE – literally put a BIT in their MOUTH – to control their TONGUE…
    • Then they are DECEIVING their own hearts – their RELIGION is USELESS!
    • What comes out of our mouth is in really a reflection of what in our heart…
    • We will talk a LOT more about this when we come to – James 3
    • Luke 6:45 – “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
  • 2^nd – Pure religion… vs. 27
    • Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this…
    • Pure [true] RELIGION undefiled before God the Father is defined by three ACTIONS…
    • The suggestion is that RELIGION that is in WORD ONLY is defiled and impure…
    • Because it lacks the corresponding ACTIONS that show a CHANGED heart!
    • To visit orphans and widows in their trouble…
    • VISIT [σκοπός] – literally to ALWAYS [present] keep a watchful EYE on the orphans…
    • When there are children who have NO ONE to take care of them – VISIT!
    • And VISIT the widows in their affliction [θλῖψις] – tribulation…
    • They have lost their husband – and often have NO ONE to care for them!
    • The common thread between these two ACTIONS – LOVE for others…
    • The number one MARK of someone who is a DOER of the Word – LOVE!
    • John 13:35 – “All will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
    • To keep oneself unspotted from the world…
    • UNSPOTTED – to have the STAIN of the world…
    • We are ALWAYS [present] to keep ourselves clean from the FILTH of the world!
    • I can tell you I am a Christian – but what kind of FRUIT comes from my life…
    • It is easy to say we have RELIGION – but the proof is in our actions – LOVE…
    • If we say we are Christians – but still live like the world – where is the CHANGED heart…
    • We are NOT to fool ourselves – if we are not OBEYING – it is not PURE RELIGION!