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Notices - Sermon
James 1.19-27
Disciplines of a Disciple
How good are you at following instructions? For example if you get one of those flat pack DIY jobs - do you read the instructions carefully or do you just start right in? I use to start right in but after many frustrating experiences I now lay everything out on the floor and follow the instructions. It is still very frustrating for me, in fact if at all possible I avoid DIY. You see you can read instructions and follow them or you can read instructions and ignore them. This morning we are going to hear from the Word of God about the Disciplines of a Disciple - you can choose to follow these instructions or ignore them. Turn with me to James 1.19-27.
The book of James was probably the first-written book of our New Testament, around AD 46. James was the half-brother of Christ and the leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12.17; 15.13; I Cor. 15.17). He was writing to Jewish believers in Christ who were in Jerusalem and scattered around the major cities of the Roman Empire. This letter is primarily about the practical outworking of the Christian faith in the life of a believer. So it is an excellent place to turn to this morning concerning the Disciplines of a Disciple.
The passage is divided quite simply under three headings:
Receive the Word of God
Practice the Word of God
Share the Word of God.
Receive the Word of God
What do you reckon is the most powerful sound on earth? Not what is the loudest? But, what noise is the most powerful. I reckon it is the cry of a child. I am amazed at how in a crowd a parent will recognise the cry of their child above all the other noises. A child can cry and the whole house is moved to action. James would have us be moved by the Word of God the way a parent is moved by their baby's cry.
Verse 19 - James begins by addressing them as 'my dear brothers' which is more than a term of endearment. Yes it expresses love towards them but it also identifies them in fellowship in Christ with him. James also uses this term in the letter to introduce new topics. He then gives them three simple instructions.
Be quick to listen - be in a position to listen. To really listen requires time, effort and concentration. How often have you been asked 'Did you hear what I said?' To listen you have to be attentive, receptive and concentrating on what is being said. In 2 Samuel 3.15 David had expressed a desire to taste the water of a certain well which was behind the Philistine lines. Three of his mighty men heard what he had said and risked their lives to bring him a drink from that well. Many others listened to what David had said but they did not hear what he said! These men listened, heard and took action. Do you actually listen to the Word of God? Do you put yourself in a place to hear, truly hear God speaking to you from His Word? You can hear superficially - like background music in the supermarket. How many people within this fellowship listen to God's Word as if it were background music in the supermarket?
Be slow to speak - this is a difficult lesson to learn. I know, I often speak too quickly. However, let me ask you a very personal question: Are you quick to speak against the Word of God? You might recoil at that question this morning. You might think to yourself 'No, I don't speak against the Word of God.' Well let me ask you another question: Have you read and obeyed the Word of God this week? You speak against the Word of God more with how you live your life than with the words of your mouth. How quick are we to ignore the Word of God in areas of our lives were we find it inconvenient or imposing a standard we do not wish to keep?
Be slow to become angry. James really goes for it at the start of this letter. The NT church was no different than the church today. There were factions and fighting. There were people who gossiped, back-biting, slandering and got angry with other people in the congregation. James here tells them they should be slow to become angry. Do you remember the story of David with Nathan? Nathan tells David a story about a little pet lamb that is taken by a rich landowner for a feast. David quickly becomes angry and then Nathan calmly points the finger at David for his sin against Uriah the Hittite. How quick a temper to do you have? Hear what James says - be slow to become angry. Please hear the Word of God this morning - James is not saying that there are no occasions when we do not get angry, for example angry at sin or injustice. He is saying that we should not be short tempered with one another. May I make a pastoral comment here? Please don't be a hypocrite about this. Please don't have the patience of Job with us here in HT and be a complete tyrant in your home. Start in your home and then bring it here. Also don't seethe quietly because the Lord God knows your heart (I Sam. 16.7). The reason James wants his readers, and us, to be slow to become angry is because it is not part of the life of righteousness that God would have us live. Do you read that in verse 20? Your wrath, your anger, your seething resentment is not part of the righteousness that God desires from His people. Are you going to take that on board this morning?
Verse 21 - Why would you do what James has asked of the believers? James begins this verse with 'therefore' which connects verses 19-20 with what follows. The Word of God has been implanted in your hearts and you are to receive it humbly because it is the means of salvation. When you came to the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, He implanted His Word in your heart - Jeremiah 31.33 says this. The implanted Word was the proclaimed Word which took root in their hearts but it must bear fruit in their lives. The implanted Word was to become and inseparable part of their lives which changed them from the inside but which was seen on the outside. Look at what James says at the beginning of this verse - get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. That is quite a strong statement. Remember he is talking to believers here. He is telling those who have received the Word of God that it must make a difference outwardly in their lives because it has been implanted in their hearts and they cannot remain the same. Friends, listen to this again - get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. I could labour this point this morning with a whole list of moral filth and evil that is so prevalent in this world and in your lives. Here is the truth this morning - if you hear the Word of God this morning and you are truly a Christian then you will get rid of the moral filth in your life and the evil that is so prevalent and you will humbly receive and obey the Word of God today. I should not have to say anything else on that.
Practice the Word of God - verses 22-26.
Before we had emails and text messages, even before telephones were in every home, the quickest means of sending a message was the telegram. The story is told that in one telegraph office several people had answered a job advertisement. They were sitting in the reception when one of them got up and walked into the managing director's office. A few minutes later the managing director came out and thanked them all for turning up but said the position had just been filled. One person objected that no interviews had taken place. The managing director then explained that while they had been sitting in reception a the following message had been tapped out in the background - if you hear this and understand then come into the managing director's office, the job is yours. One young man heard the message and acted on the message. The rest heard the message and thought it did not apply to them. How many of you hear the Word of God and do not act upon it? James could not be any simpler when he tells them to be 'doers of the Word and not just hearers.' Le me ask you a question: if this week in your work you spent the week praising the boss but actually did nothing he said - how long would it be before you were sacked? Then why do you think it is perfectly acceptable to praise God but not obey His Word?
Verses 23-25 James uses a mirror to demonstrate what he is saying to them. When they look in a mirror it is not just for a glance, nor to forget what they had just seen but to examine themselves and correct anything in their appearance before they walk out the door. It is an intense look into the mirror. They twist and turn to see as much as they can of themselves. How often are outfits changed? How often hair tweaked and fluff removed etc before you turn to walk away from the mirror? Seriously is the self-examination under the mirror of the Word of God as intense as the physical examination in the mirror? How many of you only glance at the Word of God and then walk out the door and remember nothing of what you have read? How many forget so easily what God says in His Word? How many of you choose to ignore the teaching of the Bible in all sorts of areas of your lives?
Look at the end of verse 25. Blessing comes from obedience. Your faith must be seen in your actions. Is that not the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan? You can have all the outward vestiges of faith, you can even know the Word of God but if it is not seen in action then it is empty and dead. Let me suggest something to you this morning - if there is no obedience to the Word of God there will be no blessing from God. Let me repeat that for you: If there is no obedience to the Word of God there will be no blessing from God.
Verse 26 - this was obviously a problem in the churches to whom James was writing. Once again he returns to keeping a tight rein on the tongue. A little later in the letter he returns again to this issue and speaks of the damage the tongue can do. I want to be very honest with you this morning. This is very applicable to Holy Trinity today. The amount of damage done in this fellowship by the tongue is mounting. There are some of you, who claim to follow Christ, but you do the work of satan with your tongues in this fellowship. It is not just gossiping but sniping and criticising others, especially those in leadership, those serving and generally being negative about HT. Let me read something that was sent to me this week by one of my sisters. It is amusing but unfortunately that is what is said about us all, not just me as a pastor. Get a tight rein on your tongue and stop doing the work of satan - obey the Word of God.
Share the Word of God - verse 27.
I remember having to learn this verse one year as the BB memory verse. There are two aspects of this Social Concern and Moral Purity.
Social Concern - it is about looking after those in need in our own congregation and further afield. It is care in action for others. It is very important that we have people who serve both full-time and in a voluntary sector in this community. The pregnancy crisis centre, prayer ministry team, helping social services, fostering etc - they are all practical ways of showing that we care because He cares.
Moral Purity - James returns once again to the practical outworking of the Word of God in their lives. God says 'Be holy because I am holy.' As Christians we should be, we are called to be, radically different (morally) than the world in which we live. Our standards are God's standards in moral behaviour, not the worlds. We should stand out and be different. Are we? Do we join in the office gossip? Do we turn a blind eye to corruption? Fraud? Do we pass off the blue humour? What about what you read and watch on TV? Have you any clue what your kids are viewing on the internet? Have you seen their Facebook site? Have you any idea what moral teaching they are receiving in school? Who are the godly men and women who will set the example for the younger generation in this church fellowship?
You all know how much I loved my grandfather. It was only after he had died that I realised that he had set our whole family such and example of godliness. The bible was prominent in his home. He talked openly about prayer and what he was reading. He challenged us over small decisions. There were times I thought he was too strict but his Christian faith was lived out each day in all that he did. Let me give you one example - my mum has three brothers. They own around 350 acres of land and farm around 400 head of beef cattle. As you know this summer has been a bit of a washout. Many farmers took advantage of every good day they could, even Sundays. My mum's brothers refused to cut silage, bale hay or straw on a Sunday. They feed the animals on a Sunday and that is it. Even if the weather forecast says it will be the only good day of the week. Sunday is the Lord's day - they learnt that at my grandfather's knee and it has never left them. What are we teaching the children of this church that will never leave them? What are we teaching them about the Word of God today? You can read it and ignore it or you read it, examine your life according to it and change what needs to be changed.
I believe this morning God has spoken to all our hearts about the disciplines of a disciple - be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
Amen.
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