Applying God's Word
To please God, we must not only listen
to His Word but also put it into practice.
Here's Gene:
As we continue on in this letter
that James wrote, we're going to see
that he's now going to get very specific
in terms of some sins
that these people were committing.
And so he gives us three specific areas.
And the first is number 1:
They were engaging in sinful anger.
And so he addresses this issue:
My dear brothers and sisters, understand this:
everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak, and slow to anger,
for human anger does not accomplish
God's righteousness. ...
And by the way, that's a great formula.
We could do a whole message on that--
just those three statements:
...quick to listen, slow to speak,
and slow to anger, for human anger
does not accomplish God's righteousness.
By the way, if you go to the book of Proverbs,
you will see that one of the ways
in which we can control anger
is how we view a situation.
For example, there's a Proverb
that says something like this:
A person of good understanding is slow to anger.
Good understanding: How do you develop
understanding of a situation?
You're quick to listen.
You're slow to speak. You process.
You try to understand what's happening
rather than becoming defensive
and responding with anger.
James goes on. He said:
. . . If anyone thinks he is religious
without controlling his tongue,
his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ...
Now not all anger is sin.
And Paul helps us understand
that when he wrote to the Ephesians
in chapter 4, verse 26, Paul said very specifically:
Be angry and do not sin. ...
That's an interesting statement, isn't it?
In other words, he's saying that anger is
a normal part of our emotional life.
But when we get angry,
we should not allow it to lead us into sin.
And one way in which it leads into sin is:
...Don't let the sun go down on your anger,
and don't give the devil an opportunity.
In other words, don't allow anger
to turn into bitterness and to linger
because that is sinful anger.
So he's dealing here with a very specific problem
that existed among these believers.
But James goes on to say
they had another problem.
They were engaging in immorality--verse 21:
Therefore, ridding yourselves
of all moral filth and the evil
that is so prevalent,
humbly receive the implanted word,
which is able to save your souls. ...
In other words, he's really dealing with
the fact that it's the Word of God
that sets us free.
And it's the Word of God that helps us
to live in that freedom. The implanted Word.
And I'm reminded of what Peter wrote
relative to the Word. He said this:
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice,
all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.
Like newborn infants,
desire the pure milk of the word,
so that you may grow up
into your salvation.
And keep in mind, this is probably
the first letter that these believers
had really heard read in their presence,
in terms of how to live for Jesus Christ.
Everything they heard before
was just oral communication.
And it may have been a long time
since they had heard a message
like Peter delivered on the day of Pentecost.
So we're so privileged of course to have
the Word of God to help give us guidance.
Those sincere milk of the Word.
And then thirdly:
They were not caring for needy people.
James says this in verse 27:
Pure and undefiled religion
before God the Father is this:
to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and to keep oneself
unstained from the world.
There was a cultural variable here
that we'll explain a little bit later.
And just to give you a simple answer,
there were a lot of widows
within the Roman Empire because their
husbands were killed in the Roman wars.
An unusual number of widows and orphans,
which created an issue.
These were true needs
that came before the church.
I thought about Galatians
when Paul wrote in chapter 6, verse 10 and said:
Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us work for the good of all...
The good of all includes not just our
Christian brothers and sisters
but those who truly have needs
even within the world:
...work for the good of all,
especially for those who belong to
the household of faith.
We have a real responsibility
to take care of those
within the household of God
who have true, true needs.
What James is really saying here is:
I want sincere obedience
on your part to God's will.
And so he goes on to say in verse 22:
But be doers of the word
and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ...
And with that statement, he's simply saying:
A lot of you have heard the Word,
and you're even hearing it as this letter is read,
and you're not doing it.
So he becomes very specific:
...Because if anyone is
a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like someone looking at
his own face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself, goes away,
and immediately forgets what kind of
person that he was.
But the one who looks intently
into the perfect law of freedom...
And what is the perfect law of freedom?
It's the Word of God:
...the perfect law freedom
and persevere in it,
and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer who works--this person
will be blessed in what he does.
You know what I think
James may have been thinking about
as he penned these words?
He may have been thinking about--
and of course it would have been
the Holy Spirit that brought it to his attention--
of words that were stated
by Ezekiel to the children of Israel.
And listen to these words:
So my people come to you in crowds,
sit in front of you, and hear your words,
but they don't obey them. ...
That's exactly what James is writing
to these Jewish, now believers in Jesus Christ.
...Their mouths go on passionately,
but their hearts pursue dishonest profit.
They're totally contradictory
in relationship to what God says they should do.
That was true in the Old Testament.
And unfortunately, it's taking these
new believers time to work out of
that particular background in order to
become mature in Jesus Christ.
And that's one of James's basic concerns.
So here's the Principle--let me just repeat that:
To please God, we must not only listen
to His Word but also put it into practice.
And here's a question:
If James were writing to Christians
in our particular culture today,
what three sins might he address?
Well he'd probably address all three
because they certainly apply within our culture.
But as I was thinking about that question,
I thought about what Paul wrote
in Colossians chapter 3.
And what I'm going to do, in order
to answer that question, I'm going to let
Paul answer the question.
And as you listen to what Paul says,
think about our culture today.
Now he's writing to the New Testament culture
as well but think about what James is saying.
Think about our culture.
Think about the sins that he's already
outlined in terms of this letter.
Think about wisdom from above.
How its defined here in the book of James.
Here's what Paul wrote [Col 3:8-17]:
But now, put away all the following:
anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and filthy language from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,
since you have put off the old self
with its practices and put on the new self.
You are being renewed in knowledge
according to the image of your Creator.
In Christ there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave and free;
but Christ is all and in all.
Therefore, as God's chosen ones,
holy and dearly loved,
put on compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another
and forgiving one another if anyone
has a grievance against another.
Just as the Lord has forgiven you,
so you are also to forgive.
Above all, put on love,
which is the perfect bond of unity.
And let the peace of Christ,
to which you were also called
in one body, rule your hearts.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you,
in all wisdom [in all wisdom]
teaching and admonishing one another
through psalms, [and] hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.