Adult Bible Study

Well, good morning, I hope all of you picked up a handout for James and if you would please join me in your

Bibles Hopefully your fingers are limber this morning because we're gonna do a lot of jumping around to add further

Understanding in context and I hope as well that you really come if if James is not

Near the top of your list for just one of your favorite books that this will help move it up a notch or two

So by way of very quick review, remember we talked a week ago as we started this series

James was written between about 45 to 48 AD Obviously by James the brother of the

Lord who came to salvation after the resurrection So even though he knew

Christ all the years that they were under the same household He didn't really understand

Who his brother was and I would imagine that point of time when

Christ appeared to him you can read about that in I believe it's 1st Corinthians when

Christ appeared to him post -resurrection and the truth came the

Cataracts so to speak were removed from his eyes and he understood the full essence of Who his brother was and what it meant what a sweet time that had to be

Well as we know then James eventually became quite a leader within the church at the

Jerusalem Council and was most likely the head pastor at the Jerusalem Church when persecution came many of those folks the

Jewish Christians were scattered to different parts of the area around Some of them joining existing churches others in small groups establishing or starting churches and Over the years then they began to have some issues

So it is James the pastor in absentia Which pens this epistle to go ahead and check as it says in your notes challenging them to examine their faith to see if it was a genuine saving faith as We discussed last

Sunday James the epistle has a lot of teeth into it or not into it

But in it of the 108 verses we find more than 50 commands

Which probably is the highest ratio of? Command to verse of any of the epistles

So it's not just a nice slow pitch. It comes across as a hardball frequently

He has been by some commentators called the Amos of the New Covenant And if you're not sure what

I'm talking about, I'm not going to explain it I'll just say this afternoon read Amos, and I think you'll see what he's talking about So we've looked at two tests.

We did this last Sunday One commentator has divided

James into a series of tests. The first is the test of perseverance and suffering

Those are the first 12 verses then the test of blame and temptation verses 13 through 18

We're going to look and I hope I don't lose you here We're going to look at the third test, which is the test of the response to the word in verses 19 through 27

One of the books that we're using for this study that author has chosen key words

His first keyword which you see twice on your handout Excuse me is perfection

So James is really pushing for perfection or completeness in the first 12 verses in verses 19 through 27

What we're going to be looking at today James is pushing the idea of Doing good you you're with me.

That's excellent. So we're moving from perfection slash completeness to doing let me go ahead and read verses 19 through 27, and then we'll

Finish our intro and actually get into the verse by verse. So verse 19 chapter 1 of the epistle of James Know this my beloved brothers.

Let every person be quick to hear Slow to speak slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls

Did you catch all those commands in there and he continues? Be but be doers of the word and not hearers only

Deceiving yourselves for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer

He is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like but the one who looks into the perfect law the law of liberty and perseveres

Being no here who forgets but a doer who acts he will be blessed in his doing

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart this person's religion is worthless

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this To visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the word from the world

So back to your notes, please many people Deceive themselves and we're actually going to look at a couple of different categories of folks

Many people deceive themselves into thinking that they are saved when they are not

So if you could keep one finger there in James and go back to Matthew chapter 7

These will all be very familiar passages to us Do you remember also

Last and I guess we did this on Wednesday night to finish out We did the comparison between the

Sermon on the Mount and James lots of similar References between the two or as far as the ideas go, but in Matthew chapter 7 verses 22 and 23 reread this in Folks these are probably some of the saddest words in the

Bible On that day many will say to me Lord Lord Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name?

And then I will declare to them. I never knew you depart from me you workers of lawlessness

Sobering words so go back to the notes again Many people deceive themselves into thinking they are saved when they are not that's very very clear in Matthew chapter 7

There are also true believers who fool themselves concerning their Christian walk

They think they are Spiritual when they are not they may be saved but they're not at the level of spirituality that they need to be

They think they are mature when they are not and here's the clinch line

Spiritual reality Results from the proper relationship to God through his word

James shares two responsibilities that we have towards the word Receiving it and then doing it

And in essence what he's saying if you just receive it, but you aren't doing it. You really haven't re

Seeped it. They're twins. They need to be done together

Christ's true disciples are to pay keen attention to the content of what they hear and read measuring every idea every principle every

Standard against the infallible and sovereign authority of God's Word over in mark 424

Excuse me over in mark 424 This is what we read and he said to them pay attention to what you're here

With the measure you use it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you

Now one of the reasons why I want to reinforce James with so many other passages of scripture

Is because as we talked about again last Sunday for a period of time

There were many that didn't really like James because they felt that he was too much on the

Easy side and he wasn't deep theologically. Well, there's some depth here so instead of split personalities that is

Spiritually a split personality. We need to both receive it and do it

If we're gonna receive it and not do it we are spiritually a split personality

So let's spend some time back in James verses 19 through 21

Looking at the receiving end of this So to again

Refamiliarize, let me read those three verses know this my beloved brothers

Let every person quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God therefore put away and this is kind of a negative commands put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and the

Positive receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls

So there's three necessary attitudes that we have to have if we're going to properly receive

God's Word Whether it's from preaching teaching our own studies. We need these three things first with submission in verses 19 and 20

James begins this Section with those two little words and again the bold words means they're found in your scriptures at least in the

ESV Know this Whether another way that he could have written it in some translations use this is take note in other words

This is important. James is saying you guys got to listen to this. This is really important stuff Take note know this

First thing he says is quick to hear now. I know you're looking at that and you're thinking are we really gonna look at all?

six passages Yes, we're gonna look at all six passages so join me, please and Notice how this theme and this is certainly not an exhaustive list

Notice how this theme is throughout the scriptures and since it's throughout it must be extra special important So first one

Proverbs 17 28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considerably wise

When he closes his lips he is deemed intelligent. I Love that So if you're sitting there all quiet and you

I would suggest you try this while pastors preaching Just be there quiet not affirmatively with a smile and he will actually think he's getting through to us

Again, I'm being a little facetious. But do you see the wisdom of verse 28? Too many people ruin that posture by doing what?

Opening their mouth Well, that's in the next section.

So we're not going to go there. Let's look also at Proverbs 2920 and Again, these things are like two sides of the same coin

Proverbs 2920 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words

There is more hope for a fool than for him Folks, I'm not saying that that's out of God's Word Or we can go back to Psalm 119 11

Psalm 119 11 I Have stored up for your word.

I have stored up your word in my heart. Well, how did it get there? That's Good hearing that I might not sin against you

Mark 4 24, we've already looked at so we'll go and visit Luke chapter 8 verse 18

Luke 8 verse 18 My fingers are slower than yours today in verse 18

Take care then how you hear for to the one who has More will be given and from the one who is not even what he thinks he has will be taken away and Then finally

Hebrews 5 11 Hebrews 5 11

About this we have much to say and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of Hearing let that not be said of us.

Let us be good. Here's Well the balance or the other side of that is slow to speak so if we jump over to James chapter 3 just for a second,

I Hope you're tracking with this in James chapter 3 verse 1

Not many of you should become teachers my brothers for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strict strictness

So the combination of that verse along with be slow to speak

Evidently some of the believers in these churches that are scattered in the area We're accustomed to saying and teaching whatever happened to come into their minds

Without giving it either careful thought or checking it against the scriptures

We've all run into those folks, haven't we? they have Uninformed comments on every passage of Scripture and It is not healthy for them and it is certainly not healthy for the body.

Well, was that just James idea? No, again, let's let's do some exercising here.

Go back to Proverbs chapter 10 19 10 19 of Proverbs when words are many

Transgression is not lacking But whoever restrains his lips is prudent and Then we can also look at 1727 of Proverbs Dan and I were just chatting this morning of the wealth of information contained in Proverbs and Psalms and the wisdom contained in just even reading a

Chapter or sometimes just a verse how it can help us through that day so in Proverbs 17 27

Whoever restrains his word has knowledge and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding

So Some of these Christians were too quick They weren't they weren't slow to speak on the other hand.

They were too quick to slander Looking at James chapter 4 verse 11

So rather than showing restraint they were so quick verse 11 do not speak evil against one another brothers

Well, most likely if James brought it up in his strongly worded epistle

There was a problem with that of a greater magnitude than it should have been it shouldn't be at all, but evidently it was becoming a

Considerable problem and again if you if you can understand this you as all of these believers are scattered off into small groups

Here here and here if they didn't necessarily have proper spiritual oversight

It's easy for people who are not understanding or ill -informed

To say well, I've got it. I've got something to say about that passage Well, unless we feel we're properly informed.

We need to be very careful Because when we speak Improperly about God's Word Some people will receive it as if we are in a position of informed knowledge

Do we need to rightly handle the word of truth? So be very very careful as we speak

So they were too quick to slander fellow Christians some according to verse 6.

Let me read that But he gives more grace therefore it says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Why is James bringing us up? evidently some of them were becoming quite prideful and I can understand if you're off in a new little group of believers and you have the gift of gab so to speak or we have the gift of gab and all of a sudden you're you're talking in this passage in that passage all of a sudden you gather a little group, right and That can lead to pride

So James is saying wait a minute here. You're not just talking about your interpretation of Aesop's fables

This is important stuff. Make sure you know what you're talking about and make sure that we are

Not prideful if we're in a position of teaching So very careful as we do that some were given to criticizing and arguing.

Let's look at verse 314 But if you have bitter jealously bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts

Do not boast or be false to the truth again If you take my little analogy as I'm assuming probably this occurred

You might have had a person or two that was saying oh, I've got a comment and pretty soon They have a little circle of friends

But then somebody else says wait a minute. I got opinion and now you have two uninformed or ill -informed people that are

Developing a competition between them which certainly can be wrecking a congregation large or small

So they were given to that and then over in chapter 4 1 and 2

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? And you say well that can't be a spiritual situation where these guys are battling for control of a church

All I can say is you're not very old if you don't believe that that doesn't happen We know of churches that split because of strong personalities

And if you're having strong personalities that can cause a split I would submit that probably both of those strong personalities are spiritually immature

So what causes these fat bat fights among you? Is it not this that your passions are at war with you you desire?

And it could be just desiring attention or a following You desire and you do not have so you murder really actual murder

Could lead to but what did Christ say if you think it in your heart you are guilty of it, right?

Again back to the Sermon on the Mount So we can see that what can happen from this if people are not careful with being quick to hear accurately and slow to speak

Thought and speech are God's gifts to creatures made in his image. Have you ever thought about that?

You know some of the evolutionists really try to push the idea that monkeys have this tremendous ability they have this large vocabulary and all this communication

That doesn't float the boat folks If you look at how big our vocabulary is and How we can communicate so precisely

Word smithing even you know pastors good at that In fact,

I'll just say this we've got some friends visiting us they've been on the missionary field for over 35 years and Kim he gets upset when

I say this, but he's a master linguist He knows he's fluent what five languages

Five languages, I'm not even fluent in English. I Don't even know why we have him in our house

But this is a guy in his close to retirement. He's working on With a team project of producing books in the

Sango language Sango language Yeah, that's somewhere over in Africa along with Fulani Lingala French English and I'm thinking my brain is not that big, you know

We have to be careful with our speech So these are gifts of God Do we use those gifts of thought and speech for God's glory?

That's the question Do we use the gifts of thought and speech for God's glory?

They're intimately associated with him and impossible apart from him Next command slow to anger.

So we're back in James again back in James chapter 1 Quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger the word or gave refers to an inner deep

Resentment that sees and smolders often unnoticed by others So that word doesn't mean the physical outburst of an anger

This is the inward seething have we all been there at one point in our time where we just marinate these

Thoughts and they're welling up within so the pastor or someone else that's teaching or whatever

We're listening to God's Word and we in context now We don't like what we're hurt hearing because it convicts us and what do we do?

Rather than in humility accept it we begin to see the inside Have we all been there at least once in our life so the context and We this is again a

Miscontextualized passage so often some people will say this just means You have two ears and one mouth.

So shut up and listen more It goes way beyond that the context is in God's Word now

We can apply it also to our personal lives, right? But the context is in the word.

We should be very careful to speak it We should be quick to listen to it

And if we're being convicted make sure we're not angry in our reception of it

In context, so that's what he's doing. He addresses anger again in four one to two, which we already talked about With their general

Discontent and dissension so some folks in these smaller congregations.

We're not receiving God's Word. Well So the first way to rightly receive the word is with submission the seventh one second one is with purity

Look again at the very first part of verse 21 Therefore do what?

get rid of All filthiness and rampant wickedness

That's the way that we need to do so filthiness is any moral impurity

Rampant wickedness is general moral evil and corruption No, I included this in your notes

I have no idea what it means, but one commentator phrased the rampant wickedness general moral evil and corruption as superfluity of naughtiness

I Don't know what that means, but it sounds cute. You can look it up on your own time

Okay, let's look at these verses place Ephesians Ephesians chapter 4 verses 22 through 4

So this is the same idea.

This isn't just James thoughts, but Paul addresses them here to the Ephesians Put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt

Through deceitful desires and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self

Created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness or we can go over to the letter to the

Colossians and in Colossians chapter 3 verses 8 through 10 and Notice the similarity of language

Colossians 3 8 through 10 but now you Must a command from Paul you must put them all away anger wrath malice slander obscene talk from your mouth

Do not lie to one another seeing that you have put off the old self with practices and have put on the new self

Which is being renewed in knowledge. That's knowledge of the scripture receiving a scripture after the image of its creator and Then finally

Peter jumps on this same bandwagon so in 1st

Peter chapter 2 verses 1 & 2 Paul along with James Or Peter along with James and Paul says

Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander

Like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual work milk that By it you may grow up into salvation so strong common theme

So, how do we receive the word with submission with purity and then in verse 21 be the last part of verse 21 as We look at James chapter 1

We need to receive it with Meekness the implanted word or receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls

So it is from a perspective of meekness and purity and Submission that we can ask

God to plow up the soil of our heart Man's only claim to importance and this this goes with along with this idea of humility

These are sobering words our only claim to importance is that we were created in the divine image in ourselves we are

Nothing Do you folks remember the big push a few years ago of the self -esteem movement that went through the church?

Well This may come as a shock, but if I'm looking about self -esteem

I should have no self -esteem Because on my own I am just like Roger Which is well,

I was gonna say worthless At least I'm nice to you. I'm not a right.

Yeah. Okay, but the idea did you see what I'm saying here folks? we have value because we're made in God's image and Then as Christians we have even greater value because we're adopted into the family

But apart from that that was a season of bad theology that swept through the church So these three attitudes submission purity humility contribute to the

Implanted word being effective in the soil of our hearts as a result. The soul can be saved

So what have we been talking about? We've been talking about receiving Let's talk about its twin and that is the idea of doing so verses 20 through 27

That's the doing So we start in verse 22. And as you look at your notes, you'll see and this is a really important arguably verse 22 of Chapter 2 is the central theme of the entire epistle

He says but be doers of the word and not hearers only because if you're not doing both of those

Then you're deceiving yourself in the way. It's written in the verb form.

It says be Continually doers all of your inner being that would be a literal contextual way to say that It's not just do but all of your inner being which means your heart your soul and your

Mind are all on Board doing God's Word. Now are there occasions brothers and sisters?

That we know we need to be doing God's Word But we don't want to but we still do it

Is that right or wrong? Well, it's better than not doing God's Word But ultimately as we mature all three aspects of that with Dwayne Dwayne Orland Dane Orland.

Okay, Dane Orland. We did that series. It just couldn't remember his first name I can't remember my first name sometimes but we emphasize that all of us

Should be on board Individually with those the heart soul in the mind Okay, so continuing we need to be continual doers of the word and don't deceive yourselves by being

Passive sitters in the audience. I got that phrase from Warren Weir's be

Do you catch what he's saying if we're just sitting there warm in the pew being passive receivers or passive sitters

We're not responding to the word the way we need to be doing or as another author said

If that's true of you quit kidding yourselves Quit kidding yourselves

The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until She that is the church is once more worthy of him

Do you catch that we as the church as we receive the word? if we rightly interpret it and begin to do it and apply it our

Perspective of God he will be more and more elevated. We will understand our

Relationship as the Bride of Christ. That's our ultimate goal individually and corporately

So, let's look at just a couple of these here first John 3 10 somebody's been talking too much so first John 3 10,

I thought we'd get out by 10 but Better to have more than insufficient first John 3 10

By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of devil Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of him nor is the one who does not love his brother

Let's look at Joshua 1 8 Joshua 1 8 this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth

But you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do all

That is written in it and then finally we'll look at first John chapter 2 verse 3 first John chapter 2 verse 3 and By this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments we can read verse 4 whoever says

I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar and The truth is not in him

Another little quote from a Wearsby one of my favorite guys Too many

Christians mark their Bible, but their Bibles never mark them The responsibility of those who have heard is far greater than those who haven't if we don't do

We are in a vulnerable position So three elements to obeying we've looked at submission to the word purity and Humility now, how do we obey if we go back to James as?

We wind things down James chapter 1 verse 22

But be doers and not hearers only deceiving yourselves for if anyone is a hearer and not a doer

He is like the man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror For he looks at himself and goes away, and at once forget what he is like But we'll so we'll stop there look at That so the first element is we need to apply the word without deception

Look at what it's saying here If anyone is the here and not a doer he's like a man who looks at intently at his natural face in a mirror

So The idea is this it is it says in your notes the words look intently are

A verb that means careful consideration So some of you got up this morning and as you looked in the mirror, you kind of looked intently

Probably most especially you gals because you know, you're all dialed up and us guys were just the way, you know

The way we are it means careful consideration not a glance So, what is it saying in verse 23 we get up we look in the mirror

Intently careful consideration, but then look at verse 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forget what he was like Is that a ludicrous statement?

It is so what James is saying if you're a here, but not a doer

You're like a guy that gets up in the morning You look in the mirror and you say oh you are a good -looking, dude

And after you've studied yourself you walk away and instantly you forget what you look like Well, that's just foolishness

James is actually saying if that's the way you think you are Here, but not a doer.

You're a foolish person like the guy that forgets what he looks like I think I could pick my Myself out in a mugshot.

I think I could still do that Next year, maybe not but right now I can still do that. So then we look at verse 25 but the one who looks into the perfect law

The law of liberty and perseveres being no here who forgets but a doer who acts now

That's kind of a long way of saying this is a guy that looks he's studying it and this has the idea

This is a different word and it literally means to bend over and as you're bending over You are very very carefully taking it in Let me read the little quote there from Where's B and I'll expand on that briefly

Many sincere believers read a chapter of the Bible each day But it is only a religious exercise and they we fail to profit from it personally

But we can check it off on our little list, right? Their conscience would bother them if they did not have their daily reading when actually their conscience should bother them because they read the word carelessly a

Cursory reading of the Bible will never reveal our deepest needs it is the difference between a candid photo and an x -ray

You know I read that quote and I thought back a really long time ago when

I was in school and we started the Radiology classes and the head of our radiology department.

He had all these, you know The x -ray viewers up and started throwing up these x -rays and he said, okay

Do you guys see this and we'd all go? No, don't see it And I was getting panicky.

It's like trying to learn a foreign language. It wasn't sticking with me but after hours and hours and weeks and weeks in Literally tens of thousands of x -rays.

I began to see what he was talking about Because I had carefully studied it and bingo.

It was there. Can we make a similar application to the word? We get into it the

Holy Spirit reveals blesses our time spent and all of a sudden it's going from here down to Here and it impacts our life careful observers so The blessing comes primarily in the doing not in the reading.

Do you agree with that? If we just read that's good

But if we read and do that is gooder

Okay, you're what you're listening that's okay, you're okay Truth applied will change our speech

If it doesn't change our religion, that's the our outward practice.

It is worthless. So let's look at verse 26 if anyone thinks he is religious and by that Paul James is referencing that our outer practice and does not bridle his tongue

But deceives his heart this person's religion is worthless Pure religion verse 27 is that which is pure and undefiled before God the

Father and It is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction So what is

James saying as he's talking about this? Pure religion means we're not only hearing it, but we're doing it by Practicing God's Word sharing it with others

Through speech through service and through separation from the word world all three of those

We need to be willing to apply that is obey the word without selfishness

Do you see that in the first part of verse? 27 To visit the orphans and widows in their affliction

If the word has really gotten into our heart, then we will apply the word with out selfishness

We're going to be thinking of others And if we're really applying it properly the very last part of verse 27 means to keep ourself unstained from the world

That means we're applying the word without compromise so application without selfishness an application without compromise and Then very at the very end.

It says to keep that phrase basically means that we as Christians as believers as God's children have a

Perpetual obligation we can't ever stop doing this

We need to hear Receive it do it and apply it perpetually

The word world here and you know that in the Bible the world the word world

I'm having trouble with that the word world can have several different meanings based upon the context in here world means representing the fallen mankind in general and its ungodly spiritual systems of philosophy morals and values

Is the world around us going down a slippery slope in a hurry

That's what we need to be we have a perpetual obligation Individually and corporately to apply the world the word to the world our mighty burden is to love

God Which is best learned through the understanding of the word Through it we see a vision of God high

Lifted up and our own sense of woe I think Isaiah used that word didn't he when he saw

God high and lifted up So again, it helps us with the perspective the world the word will reveal to us

God's high lifted up and in comparison to him woe is me

Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them, which is so sad

So, let's pray Father we thank you for this wonderful reminder from James Help us on a continual basis to re -evaluate our reception to the word and As your

Holy Spirit brings it and ministers it to our heart that our heart will be

Continually changed that we will be more Christlike and more effective ambassadors to this world that you have placed us in We pray this