Remove What Remains | Sermon 03/13/2022

Boy, it's good to see you guys So good to come here when you have just the busiest weeks and you have events every day of the week and you have tons of work and just Tons of things you can come here and be reminded that Christ gives us rest from our toil from all the things of this world

Amen Would you please turn with me to James chapter 1 we'll be continuing our study there deja vu

James chapter 1 We're gonna be Looking at verses 19 through 21 today

The title of this sermon is called remove what remains

Remove what remains okay? Starting in verse 19 church.

These are the words of the one true and living God right here This you know my beloved brethren

But everyone must be quick to hear slow to speak and slow to anger

For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness in Humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls

Thus ending the reading of God's holy inspired word, let's pray church Father again, we thank you for today.

Please bless the proclamation of the word. Please speak through me dear Lord God I pray that this would impact us

Lord that it just wouldn't be a fleeting conviction Lord We're we're just a little bit stung and we leave and and we don't make any real changes

We don't do any real repentance or anything like that God help us to feel it in such a way

Lord that it's the the Holy Spirit Convicting in us and giving us godly sorrow to make corrections in our lives

Lord, I know the study of this has impacted me so much Lord, I pray that we would not just simply be informed today, but conformed and transformed by your word

Please speak today Lord help me to speak in a way that is clear and helpful and let it always be true in Christ's name

Amen since the beginning Due to God's very nature

When he speaks we are to listen When God spoke the world into existence and ordered the cosmos everything created listened

Everything came into being at his word and awaited instruction The Lord Almighty says let there be and not a single thing could say or do otherwise

When Job and his companions presumed to know God's intention and will

It says the Lord spoke out of the whirlwind and said where were you when

I lay the foundations? of the earth And God asks a series of dozens and dozens of rhetorical questions to demonstrate their folly and his

Supremacy, it's a wonderful discourse after this long moment from God Likely trembling and prostrate

Job says I am insignificant What can I reply to you?

He says I lay my hand on my mouth That's what he says

Job was essentially speechless You may remember when the

Prophet Elijah told the people Either follow God or follow

Baal But stop hesitating follow one or the other Elijah says so he made a proposition with the 450 prophets of Baal They were to take two oxen

One for Elijah one for the prophets of Baal they were to prepare the oxen cut them up Place them on wood, but light no fire underneath.

No fire was to be lit under the sacrifices Then Elijah said to the prophets now call upon your

God Baal and request the offering to be consumed by fire And the 450 prophets of Baal it says leaped around the altar

And when that didn't work and they were calling out and they were leaping they they took knives and they started cutting Themselves and blood was gushing out and they're calling these strange cries.

They said in a loud voice. Oh Baal answer us You know, what's interesting?

It doesn't say But there was no fire from above that's not what the word says.

The Bible says but there was no voice and No one answered. That's what it says

Elijah then Repaired an altar that was previously designated for the Lord Almighty He placed his oxen on the wood

And then he dug a trench around it. He went an extra step Actually two extra steps

Because then he had three times Four large pitchers of water be filled and poured all over the burnt offering over the oxen over the wood

To the point where it overflowed and filled even the trench that he had dug around the altar

The text says this at that time of the offering of the evening sacrifice

Elijah the Prophet came near and said Oh Lord the God of Abraham Isaac and Israel today

Let it be known that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and I have done all these things at your word

Answer me Oh Lord answer me that this people may know Oh Lord that you are

God Now you have turned their back at their heart back again And it says that fire fire of the

Lord fire of the Lord Not just any fire fire of Yahweh fire of the

Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and all the wood Melted all the stones and it took all the dust away it says and it even licked up every single drop of water that was in the trench

Fire came from heaven When all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said the

Lord he is God the Lord Yahweh he is God they say it twice and You can you see

God spoke and he shut the mouths of the prophets of Baal Our God is alive

Baal is a false God an idol Something that demons use as a puppet.

It's so fake It says Baal didn't answer No words were uttered but thunder clapped from heaven fire shot down and Everyone not only saw but heard

God answer God shuts up idols In fact psalm 115 says idols have mouths, but they cannot speak

They cannot make a sound with their throat. The word says it says they have ears, but they cannot hear our

God speaks a word and Instantaneously all that he says is executed in his great power

He shuts the mouths of lions and kept their roars within them when

Daniel was in the pit set to perish In the gospel of Luke when the angel

Gabriel was telling the priest Zacharias That in his and Elizabeth's old age, they would bear a son named

John to be the forerunner and prepare the way for the Messiah Zacharias in that moment when

Gabriel was telling him questioned God and said How can I know this for certain?

And in his doubt the Lord made Zacharias mute until John was born

How often do we question the Lord like that, right? How will I know this for certain? The Lord Jesus Christ shut the mouth of the devil quoting the very

Word of God that came from him and it says the devil left him He fled at the word spoken by God the

Son Our God gave the Sermon on the Mount and all listened intently The scribes and Pharisees recognized that he spoke as one having authority

Often they came to question Jesus over and over again But there would be no debate

Because they'd have no rebuttal to what Jesus was saying. It was over their argument was done They'd come and challenge him and they couldn't say anything in response to what

Christ said He often left them frustrated or or stumped looking for other ways to Challenge him

But they never could Jesus shuts the mouths of those contesting him our passage today says we ought to be quick to listen

So too slow to speak and slow to anger We Franklin we frequently struggle with these things.

I know I do in fact, we are often doing the opposite But God is the only one with the right and ability to righteously listen as he pleases in Whatever fashion he wants.

He can be quick to speak while all others must shut their mouths and He can be quick to righteous anger as the word says

That he has indignation and wrath on the wicked every day But what we will see is

God listens to his children he speaks in perfection and at the time that we need it and how we need it and The Bible says he is slow to anger

God has spoken in James chapter 1 verses 19 through 21 So let's consider now as a church what the

Lord has to tell us starting in verse 19 It says this, you know, my beloved brethren

But everyone must be quick to hear slow to speak and slow to anger

From last week the verse prior spoke about rebirth in The exercise of his will he made us born again by the word of truth

That's what verse 18 said And James as he typically does makes a quick gear shift

That is not totally out of line of his thinking but it's enough

To cause us to stop and ponder Why these verses stick out a bit out of nowhere?

There it's not There's purpose behind it Now that God has given us rebirth by the word by the gospel.

We ought to look Different from how we did before being born again,

I think the ESV translation Honestly has better captured the intention of the

Greek here though as it should say this Instead of this, you know, it should say know this my beloved brethren know this

Because this is not an indicative this is an imperative what our imperatives again

Church commands exactly Know this pay attention

Listen up you ought to be diligent to learn this and walk in this

And he says everyone Every Anthropos every man and woman not just the super religious

Not just pastors or the wise elderly Everyone must do these things and then there's another another imperative

Must be is in the present active imperative. This is a command You might remember

I told you the present active means to be continually doing these things continually be be quick to hear

Slow to speak and slow to anger continually continually work on these things First everyone must be quick to hear

Tacos Tacos is swift quick speedy like the word tachycardia

Fast heartbeat right tachometer many people consider a great orator or speaker invaluable public speaking isn't easy to do and Oftentimes much honor is given in our society to those who do it.

Well But here we see In the biblical text that much more of a skill than speaking is listening listening

To be a good listener ought to be more sought -after than good speaking

It is incredibly hard for us to do this though We have to close our mouths and focus our thoughts on the person who is speaking

Loving your neighbor as yourself is giving even your thoughts to them while you receive and listen to their words

We wait as they give us their concerns and their opinions we listen

Of course in some way You'll be thinking of how you'd like to respond and I don't think that's totally bad.

Some people say no You shouldn't be even ready to respond. I Think it's important to not be fixated on your response

Trying to remember what you want to say to their point so bad that actually you stop listening to what they say

Just just trust that when they stop speaking you'll have something valuable to say

We're in the wisdom literature of the New Testament But the wisdom literature of the old has much to say to this

Proverbs chapter 12 verse 15 says a fool is right in his own eyes But a wise man takes the time to listen to counsel

He weighs it. He considers it. He listens Proverbs chapter 15 verse 31 and 32 says he whose ear

Listens to life -giving reproof will dwell among the wise and he who listens well has understanding

Essentially if we listen not we learn not

You have to listen to get understanding if no one

I'm sorry if one comes to church they come to church service and their thoughts are occupied with concerns for the weak or The cares of this world, how will they hear the instruction and encouragement

God intends for them to hear on Sunday? The Proverbs go on you are to listen to your father and mother

You're to listen to the law Listen to those who are wiser than you and the list goes on and on and on in the

Proverbs Ecclesiastes chapter 5 says guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to Listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools for they do not know

They are doing evil do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought

To bring up a matter in the presence of God for God is in heaven and you are on the earth therefore

Let your words be few Don't be so quick to list off things like God is a genie

Okay, God do this do this for me do this do this to this done. Amen That's not how we come to God with our supplications

Listen be still consider the Lord consider what to say

Don't rush through prayer It'd probably be better for you to not pray than rush through it and dishonor

God Say I'm gonna do it later when I have time of course. I don't I don't want you to never not do it so Either way make a habit

Approach the Lord in his word eager to listen even approach his word eager to listen

Because think about it These Christians needed to be quick to hear because of oral tradition and oral recitation

What do I mean by that? There was no printing press church. There were no printed books

There weren't many scrolls of Isaiah rolled up ready to go for everyone in synagogue

They had to listen intently to the speaker They had to be ready to listen

Quick to hear listen well because this is important to be spiritually fed

We are in a culture that is so busy and receives so much visual stimuli that we have terrible trouble

Focusing and listening there's so much going on so much flashing around so much changing and we're swiping and swiping and swiping

It's never fast enough One day we are just gonna be computers and instantly receive data, that's how crazy it's going we got to slow down Slow down in this life the word of truth

Has made you born again, so we are to listen be quick to listen Next it says

Christians must be slow to speak Slow to speak

Braduce is slow slow to speak slow to utter words slow to talk This honestly really goes hand -in -hand with listening

Because typically the person who is not quick to hear is not slow to speak am

I right? The person who's not a good listener is typically the one who is quick to say this to say that it goes hand -in -hand as Christians we ought to be calculating people observant people weighing and considering if what you have to say

Will demonstrate piety and grace and love Is what you have to say valuable to the conversation

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 29 Speaks to this pretty well. It says let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth

But only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment

So that it will give grace to those who hear We ought not to be so impulsive

We are to consider what to say before we say it or simply be quiet and quick to listen

Proverbs chapter 17 verse 28 says even a fool when he keeps silent is

Considered wise when the fool closes his lips. He is considered prudent Even fools have hope there this demonstrates though that there are moments when keeping silent is sometimes smarter to do

Sometimes it's best to actually keep silent Have you ever said something at the wrong time and simply made things worse?

Me raising my hand this whole sermon at apology in Arizona We would have these monthly leadership meetings the deacons and the elders would come together once a month and We'd sit down and we'd pray and we'd consider

What's going on in the church and the needs of the body and who's not being cared for who haven't we seen in a while?

things like that and there'd be moments where there there'd be time to speak and they'd want

Us to offer up our opinions and of course this guy's always like yeah, this is what

I think, you know but there was a few guys who would just always be calculating just Slow to speak quick to hear they'd be sitting back and I it reminds me actually of a brother a deacon named

Don this brother would just listen the whole time and And it becomes silent and it came to the point where they actually would solicit his

Opinion he was considered wise just even in his quiet nature watching and listening and Of course he was a wise brother his feedback was always prudent

He was he would take his time and everyone would want to hear it Now this one right here this one hurts

Proverbs chapter 18 verse 13 says he who gives an answer before he hears it

It is folly and shame to him He who gives an answer before he hears it.

It is folly and shame to him How often do we cut even our spouses off?

We're talking we're talking cut off our spouses. We cut off people a Lot of our communication turns into conflicts this way

How often do you not carefully even read the text message or email that was sent to you, right?

We respond real quick We kind of like read line by line and not word -for -word and the person replies and goes that's not even what

I'm talking about And you go back and you you read a little bit more slowly you go.

Ooh, whoops. Yeah. No, I'm sorry I I thought you were saying this my apologies Slow to speak slow to respond

Now this isn't a vow of silence. I'm not asking you guys to become recluse reclusive monks or anything like that It means that we ought to be wise in our speaking be wise and how you speak

Proverbs chapter 10 verse 19 when there are many words Transgression is unavoidable

But he who restrains his lips is wise If you ramble on too much if you keep going

You're liable to sin it says if you keep going Transgression is unavoidable

It even reminds me of what you call cage stagers Cage stagers people who have come upon strong Excuse me strong convictions of a particular doctrine

Usually Calvinism and they need to be put in a cage for a while until they calm down Because they're they're so convicted and they're so excited that they're frantic with their arguments and hasty in their words

And they want you to believe exactly what they believe right now right And so those guys do that often they can hurt people in this hasty speaking

Many times so -called internet theologians Who are typically young guys without families

Behind a keyboard or probably even sometimes without a church. These are nomads and rogues.

Sometimes I've noticed These internet theologians they do short listens of the

Word of God real quick short You know quick to hear in a way they I mean quick to hear in the wrong way of the

Word of God They they have a quick conviction and that conviction takes flight and they argue it vehemently

They argue it to the death. They regurgitate it without even fully understanding it or being fully

Mature in the thing that they're saying they learned it yesterday and they're like everyone has to do this

Come on, you know that everyone must do this. You learned it yesterday, bro Be mature in it walking it for a while before you come to me

Maybe you've done this to some measure. I know I have but we have to slow down We got to be slow to speak

Next it says Christians must be slow to anger and Honestly anger will be a large

Aspect of the rest of our sermon today. The remainder of our sermon is we'll talk about anger quite a bit

What's interesting is anger can trigger being slow to listen and fast to speak

Right Uncontrolled anger leads to uncontrolled uncontrolled speech

Someone who's angry talks over you and speaks over you and they don't listen to anything you're saying and they just it's it's all them in their anger organ is anger or wrath

The Bible has a lot to say about anger Colossians chapter 3 verse 8 says but now you also put them all aside put them all aside anger wrath

Malice slander and abusive speech from your mouth Because now that you are a child of God and not a son or daughter of wrath

You are to put away anger and wrath That may have been who you were

Maybe you were known with friends as the hothead Yeah, that's our buddy.

He's just always getting into fights. He's just always crazy, you know You could argue you could fight and scream with the best of them

But that's not supposed to be you now It must be put away. It must be laid aside

The wrath has been poured out on Christ so you can leave wrath at the cross The wrath has been poured out on Christ so you could leave wrath at the cross

Be slow to anger beloved if you are given to anger or have outbursts you are to repent

Romans 1 and a lot of the discourses that talk about all these sins sins It makes it clear that those who have great malice those who have great anger.

They're not going to inherit the kingdom of God Along with all liars and and are all fornicators and idolaters all those things

Turn away from that behavior because it is not the fruit of the Spirit It is the fruit of the flesh

Paul tells Timothy overseers, but must not be quick -tempered That goes for everyone to emulate

And we all tend to give excuses, right? Well, I was raised that way. I was raised in an angry home.

I was under a lot of stress You don't know the kids were frustrating me.

I couldn't stop But James allows for no excuses

I Looked I'm just kidding Proverbs chapter 14 verse 17 says do not be quick -tempered 1518 says be slow to anger 1632 says being slow to anger is better than being a mighty man

Wow if you're slow to anger That's better than being a mighty man and all the time. We usually think mighty men are men who are quick to anger

No, it says here mighty men are slow to anger 19 verse 11 says using discretion will make you slow to anger use discretion 2911 says a wise person holds back their timber

Proverbs 29 22 says an angry man abounds in sin an angry man commits all types of sin usually accompanied with his anger and finally

Proverbs chapter 22 verses 24 through 25 says Do not even associate with a man given to anger or go with a hot -tempered man

Or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself Don't learn the angry man's ways

The angry man has trapped him Himself he is snared himself. So don't jump in the trap, too

Don't put a noose around your leg a snare How often do we regret things we say in quote the heat of the moment

The heat of the moment Or that's a good song by Asia Look it up Douglas Moo comments

Psychologists will sometimes claim that emotions since they are a natural product of the personality

Cannot truly be controlled only suppressed or ignored but James exhortation here presumes differently

Okay Psychologists will say well, that's just a part of your personality You you can't repent of it.

Even if you wanted to know you can you can repent from it my friends An angry man can't hear a reason

Typically in the moment. He's not quick to listen He doesn't speak slowly showing discretion but vomits his anger on everyone in proximity

Everyone becomes a victim to the anger outbursts When we're angry, we often can't hear

God's Word You can't you can't hear reason when you're that angry

Can't hear God's Word. You can't feel you can't sense the Holy Spirit's pleading. We're not listening

We're speaking out of the flesh So why are we to be quick to hear slow to speak and slow to anger?

Verse 20 gives us the reason why it says Why because for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God?

The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God It says the anger of man does not air gaze a tie or Gaza tie

Which comes from the root word air gone, which is work does not work It does not achieve it does not produce

The anger of man does not accomplish. It does not earn. It does not merit the righteousness of God and Anger can look my friends very unrighteous and very ugly

My mother has always been a beautiful woman but growing up when I was in trouble and she was angry

I swear that sweet face would turn into something terrifying But think about it

To be serious Have you ever seen? intense anger on someone's face

And they can easily turn into someone who looks so cruel so furious scowling their face contorts their face changes a

Woman typically turns more masculine and a man looks like a villain You can scare your children with an angry face you can frighten them we have terrified our children in our anger sometimes

Absolutely terror And anger loves to be fed Anger likes to be met with more anger so it can increase it wants it the flesh takes over Anger wants to be fed feed me more

More heat makes the pot boil over more kindling fans the fires flames

But it does not achieve the righteousness of God So if you're ever dealing with an angry person one of the best things you can do actually is not get angry back

They want you to be angry to give them more fuel they do So pour the cold showers of kindness and composure and God's Word upon them

Okay Anger results in so many things church Anger can result in conflicts

Conflicts can lead to disputes that turn into brawls Anger can turn into hatred it can push someone to murder someone else

Anger problems and marriages are the leading one of the leading causes of divorce in our country anger problems

Anger Seeks to make itself a generational curse with with people the angry father or mother unintentionally can beget angry children who turn into angry adults

Christ though breaks that cycle church Christ breaks the generational curse.

We don't need to walk in that curse anymore Christ took that curse of anger upon himself, so you don't need to do it anymore

In the life of the believer, there's an absolutely negative impact Anger can hinder prayers and unity

According to first Timothy chapter 2 verse 8 it says therefore I want the men in every place to pray lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension

If you have wrath how can you lift up holy hands and to pray and to approach

God Do we dare approach God with anger as if we have the right

God has the only right God has the right Ephesians chapter 4 verse 27 says do not give the devil an opportunity with your anger

Don't give the enemy a foothold in your life due to your anger Remember what happened to Moses you guys remember that in Numbers 20

Deuteronomy 1 It says that Moses became angry with the Israelites he did not listen to the instructions of the

Lord and So Moses is disobedience led to him not being allowed into the promised land

Because he got angry Your anger robs you of your joy in Christ And we act like we're not going to the eternal promised land

Does not achieve the righteousness of God that phrase does not achieve the righteousness of God that phrase

My friends is not a question of something like justification in Romans 4

Or Christ imputing his righteousness to your account. That's not we're talking about here Remember James is writing to people who are already believers

James is simply saying Human anger does not produce the righteous behavior that God desires

Human anger does not produce the righteous behavior that God desires from his children Psalm verse 11

Chapter 11 verse 7 highlights this very well. It says for the Lord is righteous He loves righteous deeds

The upright will behold his face. God is righteous. And so he loves righteous deeds.

I Real quick the Bible demonstrates God has righteous anger.

I Don't want you to walk away from this and Maybe you're in your daily devotional time and you're reading about spots where it says

God is angry or God hates Those verses are indeed in the Bible. And so I don't want you to be confused.

So let me mention a few things regarding that in fact Psalm 7 says

God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation every day You see because God is love as 1st.

John says he must hate what if God is love.

He must hate he must be angry. It says he hates the hands that shed innocent blood

Psalm 11 says he hates the wicked who perform violence upon the innocent when

Jesus healed the man with the withered hand in the synagogue and asked everyone if It was lawful to do good on the

Sabbath to save a life on the Sabbath. They were all silent It says

Jesus looked around at all of them with great anger with anger Jesus looked at them in Christ's righteous anger.

He overturned the money changers table for turning the house of God into a den of thieves

It says he even took time to make a courted whip And he went he went to the temple and he used his whip to get people out of there

Usher them out of the courtyard God can righteously hate or be angry

There are a few instances where we can be without sinning It's called righteous indignation

One article says of this we can know for sure that our anger or Indignation is righteous when it is directed toward what angers

God himself Righteous anger and indignation are justly expressed when we are confronted with sin

Good examples would be anger toward child abuse child trafficking anger against pornography anger against racism anger against homosexual activity

Anger against abortion and all types of murder. I Remember in a

Paul Washer sermon on Romans chapter 3 He said if you love the

Jews You have to hate the Holocaust if you love women you must hate

Spousal abuse if you love children, you must hate trafficking and abuse If you love you need to hate the unrighteous things

To properly love you must hate evil things to properly love.

You must be angry with what anger God's Angers God, of course There's a fine line to this

As we've got to be careful with this and the anger that we have Especially a lot of us men who go out to the abortion mill and we see murder

Taking place and walking right in the doors What what is righteous indignation look like where when does it transfer into unrighteous anger so it is better to err on the side of Protection against true anger.

Of course. This is not the anger that James is talking about But I just wanted to mention some of these things as I figured you might have thought about these things during this time

The fact is the Bible also demonstrates that God is slow to anger

God is slow to anger. He models this for us He is the opposite of fallen man

James has already said God is good. He says God is light. He is the father of lights.

He is righteous There are so many verses that say that say God is slow to anger and abounding in loving -kindness

Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love for us Exodus 34 6 numbers 14 18

Nehemiah 9 18 Psalm 86 15 Psalm 103 8

Psalm 145 8 Joel 2 13 Jonah 4 2 Nahum 1 3 just to name some

All those verses say God is slow to anger with us Do not fret my fellow believers.

God is slow to anger and quick to extend grace We don't have a terrible expectation of the

Father's wrath and judgment we can't we we don't need to as believers to expect a

Wrathful and malice filled and anger filled approach from our God. Our God doesn't approach us like that anymore

It's been poured out on Christ It's been paid for Our God doesn't approach us that way.

We don't need to approach others that way he approaches us with grace with love and Discipline we'll talk about that.

We can boldly approach the throne room of grace the robe of Righteousness Christ has covered you with gives you direct access to your heavenly father he is slow to anger towards you beloved and Honestly when you consider it

God has allowed for 2 ,000 years since Christ's ascension For men and women to repent and come to him for grace and salvation for 2 ,000 years

The gospel has been proclaimed and it's available to all men and women everywhere. They can turn to Christ any moment

He is long -suffering toward mankind the Bible says he is forbearing

God has the just right to do what he did honestly in Genesis with Noah and With the flood

God has the right to wipe out humanity today. He could if he wanted to God has the only right in his perfect justice

But he hasn't He hasn't because he he wants as the

Bible says the world to come to saving faith He is patient toward us Now the

Bible says God chastens those whom he loves I mentioned that he gives his sons and daughters loving correction not punishment

Not punishment Christ bore that on the cross, but listen to this in Hebrews chapter 12

It says it is for discipline that you endure God deals with us as As with sons and daughters, that's how that's how the father deals with you now for what son is there whom his father doesn't discipline

Meaning if you don't get discipline, what does that mean about your relationship with God?

It says if you are without discipline of which all have become partakers Then you are illegitimate children and you are not sons and daughters

God disciplines those whom he loves Listen to verse 8. I'm sorry 11.

It says Says this though all discipline for the moment

Seems not joyful But sorrowful Yet to those who have been trained by it afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness

That is good news Human anger doesn't produce God's righteousness, but when he disciplines us due to our anger it will bring the fruit of righteousness

God I'm an angry person Bring your discipline and your loving chastening on me as a son or daughter

That I may produce the righteous deeds that you desire Lord produce in me the righteousness that you desire the righteous behavior

Now for our final verse verse 21, it reads therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness

In him in humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls

We see James is warning that the uncontrolled tongue and quick temper

Can cause a believer to go deeper into sin and grieve our God?

But repentance and spiritual cleaning must be done essentially

It says therefore or for this reason apothemain oi Therefore or for this reason apothemain oi, which is take off lay aside put aside like taking off clothes, okay?

Remove it says all and every filthiness not some Not almost all of it, but it says remove all of it from you

And the word is Rupert on which means moral defilement corruption moral and cleanness vulgarity and the root word of Rupert on is dirt dirt

James is saying you were cleansed by Christ, but since you keep walking in these sins you are wearing

Dirty mud -covered garments take off the filth remove it from you

Quit trying to put it on in Zechariah chapter 3 the high priest

Joshua stood before the angel of the Lord it says in filthy clothes He was to take off The filthiness and put on cleanliness simultaneously it says the

Lord removed his iniquities And the Lord does that for us he removes our iniquities take off the filth of anger and the uncontrolled tongue

Remove all the filth that soils your life Take off the dirt

Peter says in his epistle act like free men and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil

But use it as bond slaves of Christ Act like free men don't use your freedom as a covering for evil

You know We we are we've been given freedom and we are to use that freedom and that liberty

To not sin we often in the Christian life and and online and in the Christian world we go well

I have liberty I have freedom and we we say that and then we go so now I can sin because there's grace

Every time it talks about Lee liberty or freedom It says the liberty or freedom is there because now you don't have to earn the the aspects of salvation through the law

You have liberty and freedom to obey Christ Use that freedom in the right way

And he says we don't need the covering for evil anymore Take off that covering take off that garment.

It's dirty in humility or gentleness be approving of Receptive of by the conviction of the word

Receive is also an imperative here It says receive the word implanted implanted

And so we know from verse 18 the word of truth has caused us to be born again and Now that word of truth is planted in you.

It's planted in me The word implanted is to means this to be permanently in place praise

God permanent permanently in place with the implication of development placed in permanently established in implanted the root word is

Actually to grow It means to grow inside Internal growth is to occur

Essentially the gospel was preached and it was sown into you It was sown into you the gospel was preached and like a seed it was planted inside of you

When God regenerated you in fact Christ actually calls himself the sower of the good seed in Matthew 13

He says I am the sower of the good seed He is the one who does it? Christ planted something in us that is growing

It is not innate in us It wasn't already there. It was foreign to you, but Christ planted it in you

James spoke about flowers and grass He relates to plants again

If a plant does not receive water fertilizer and care then it will die

James wants them to care for what was implanted to nurture it

This isn't a hit at Eternal security or the efficacy of the atonement or the assurance that we have in Christ That's not what

I'm trying to do here, but like a homiletic device or a pastoral warning So to say don't let what has grown in you die

Don't let what has grown in you die Take care of it Nurture it

Because as long as we remain on this earth, we are in a battle We are under the heat of the effects of sin and the world and you must water yourself with the

Word of God constantly But we emphasize that a lot at apologia here because the

Word of God Emphasizes that a lot the Word of God is what we need This also reminds us of the promises of the new covenant

God gave in the old That he would put his law word in our hearts His law word in our hearts

It says that that implanted word is able to save your souls God's Word is able

Duna main on comes from the Greek root word dunamis It means strength and power

Actually from where we get the word dynamite dunamis dynamite God's Word is able it is

Duna main on it is powerful. It is strong The word implanted in you is infinitely strong and powerful to save your soul

You're not able You're not the one with dunamis You're not the one with the power and the strength to save your soul.

It is the Word of God Implanted in you that is able to save your soul James wouldn't mean

It saves a portion of you. We're not talking about the trichotomy or dichotomy of the

Body and soul or body soul and spirit. This is the whole of you. God saves the whole of you.

He saves all of you And save is not just salvation for the

Christian But restoration of life It's a saving. It's not just a saving from Salvation is not just a saving from but it's a saving to saving from and saving to because it was just a saving from it'd be like pulling an injured guy up hanging off a cliff in the

Alaskan wilderness and Setting him on solid ground leaving him and flying a hundred miles away when he needs his wounds to be cared for He needs a brace and he hasn't eaten for two days and he has no water

But you saved his life you pulled him off the cliff God doesn't just save us to from he saves us to he

Dresses your wounds of sin. He binds you up in such ways to help you repent

He cares for you he puts ointment on you so as to remove old scars He gives you counsel so as to break the generational curse of anger

God doesn't just leave us Save us from something he saves us to He gives us new life the word humbly received can strip off The pre -christian lifestyle from the believer and grow in you the ability to be quick to hear

Slow to speak and slow to anger and that's a fact That's absolute it will do that The word is so powerful and what

God has done in you and what he's implanted in you It is sure as sure that God will do that in you if you are his and Let's wrap things up your church you see

Christ Came to save the angry man and angry woman Christ came to save the angry man and angry woman.

That's a good thing. Amen He came to save them now that God's wrath was poured on Christ you can set aside your wrath

The Prince of Peace has come to give peace and he has true peace

So we can quiet that spirit We can we can walk in a way not to let our emotions control us, but let the

Spirit of God control us In fact, we can walk in such a way where we control our emotions and our emotions don't control us anymore

That is possible now in Christ We can do that And if you're someone struggling with anger today

I Have noticed something works very well with that. Of course all the normal spiritual disciplines and reading of God's Word and meditating on things regarding anger

But I've noticed if you get accountability Outside of your spouse and you ask a brother or sister to check on you and to give weekly reports that is often very humbling and Humiliating in a righteous way

Where someone outside of your family goes how was this week and you and you have to say

I had an outburst on Wednesday I I did this and then I fought with my spouse and then you guys pray together.

So Anyways, that's a good thing get with your deacon or talk with me if that's something that needs to be arranged

If you're struggling with it The word says be angry and do not sin

Be angry and do not sin put that energy towards the things we ought to fight righteously for If you simply take off the filth you are still vulnerable

You realize that if you just take off the filth you're just you're still vulnerable you got to put something on You got to put something on Paul tells the

Ephesians put on The new self which is in the likeness of God and has been created in righteousness and in the holiness of truth

You take off to put on He tells them also to put on the armor of God put on good works put on these righteous things quit

Wearing those dirty clothes Those old clothes are torn. Those are from the old man.

Those are from the old woman. Don't put them on anymore You don't even fit in them anymore. Quit wearing the old they're dirty.

You have new clothes wear them instead Put on the holiness that God intended you

Intended for you to wear and remember that the word Implanted in you is grace from God.

It is a grace. He's implanted his word in you and The word implanted get this the word implanted in you cannot help

But to destroy the roots of the weeds of anger and the old man in you

They will the word implanted in you will become such a righteous plant so as to take over the garden and remove the old self

That's a promise Now with all these things in mind

Church, let's pray that God by his spirit would help us employ these things in our life.

Not just this week But into eternity Amen Let's pray

Father in heaven, we bless your name Thank you for the message that went out, please bless it, please impact your people and plaque impact me

Lord God this is one that we hold on too long in ourselves.

It's the one that we allow too much in our families it's the one that we allow our children to see from us and then it puts a root in them

Lord a Nasty root pull it out Lord pull all the unrighteous

Weeds and roots out of ourselves dear Lord God We've tried to repent from this before But cause us to repent now truly

Lord help us not to feign repentance or pretend

Help us to not have a passing fleeting moment of conviction Lord, but change us God Help us to be people who are slow to anger as you are help us to be quick to hear slow to speak practicing wisdom

God Please help us to take off the old clothes and realize we have new ones That Christ has purchased for us

Thank you Lord for this time We praise you. We thank you pray this in Jesus name.