Chuck Swindoll tells a modern-day parable about the owner of a company who had to be out of the country for two years.
Before he left, he called his leadership team together and gave them these instructions.
He said, while I'm gone, you've got to stay on top of things.
Every week, I will send you detailed instructions about what I want to be done.
That will help you to stay on task and keep everything running smoothly.
Well, everyone agreed, thought it was a good idea.
So for the next two years, he sent detailed instructions every week outlining what the different members of the leadership team needed to be doing.
When he got back from the trip, as he was driving up the driveway to his business,
he was shocked at what he saw.
On the outside of the building, it looked like the place had been deserted, abandoned.
The grass had not been cut.
The flower beds were overgrown with weeds.
There were even a few windows missing.
When he walked into the lobby, the receptionist had her head down on the desk, just asleep.
So he just started down the hall.
As he made his way down, he heard loud music coming from several different offices.
Well, he went into the accountant's office, but no one was there.
So he just sat down at the computer, pulled up the financial information, and he couldn't believe what he saw.
What had been a successful business that had made a profit every year had not made a profit the two years he had been gone.
As he looked more closely at details, he found that he was on the verge of bankruptcy.
You can imagine how he felt, what he was going to do.
He immediately called his leadership team together and demanded,
What have you been doing?
Didn't you get my instructions every week?
Well, they replied, Oh, yes, we got them.
In fact, we got together every Friday morning, and we talked about them.
We even printed them out and bound them together in a book.
Look, some of us have even memorized a part of your instructions.
Well, the owner was just livid, and he demanded, Well, what did you do with my instructions?
And they replied, Do?
We didn't do anything, but they sure were nice instructions.
Now, that's an absurd parable, isn't it?
But it does illustrate an important point.
In fact, the point I'm going to make today in this message.
Sometimes, what I just told you is the way we respond to the instructions that God has already given to us in his word.
And James understood that.
And he really made the theme of what we call his New Testament letter,
Faith Works.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only.
I want you to turn with me, if you would, to this passage.
We're going to look at an extended passage this morning.
There will be a few verses on the screen, but it will be very helpful.
If you will pull up on your device, your bound copy, however you want to do it.
But if you would, open your Bible to James chapter 1.
And we're going to look together at verses 29, or rather 19 through 27.
While you're turning, let me just remind you.
Over the past several weeks, we've been looking at what it means to think biblically about some of today's hot-button issues.
Today, we're going to wrap up that series by emphasizing that as important as it is for us to think biblically, that's not enough.
We need to put it into practice.
We need to live biblically.
And that's what James is going to be describing here in the verses that we're going to read.
This is one of the best passages that I know of in all of the Bible to help us to understand how important it is,
not to just acquire information or knowledge as we read and study the Bible.
We've got to do something with what we read and understand from God's Word.
We're going to read verses 19 through 27 now.
That's the context of what James is saying about being doers of the Word, not hearers only.
But we're only going to look at a few of the verses in our actual message on this.
Let's read in verse 19.
Know this, my beloved brothers, that 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 the rampant wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.
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's like a man who looks intently at his natural face in the 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 hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts,
he will be blessed in his doing.
I want you to note here, God does not reward our acquiring information.
God only rewards our faithfulness to do what he's told us to do.
And that's what James is pointing out here.
Verse 26,
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 world.
James is very clear in what he says, isn't he?
We've got to be both doers as well as hearers of God's word.
And that's really just another way of saying we must both think biblically and live biblically.
Let's look at it.
We can summarize what James is saying under two statements.
The first one, we must be receptive to God's word.
We must be receptive to God's word.
And James really has a unique way of telling us here to pay attention to what God's saying in his word.
Look first.
We must be quick to hear.
That's what he says.
Let every person be quick to hear in verse 19.
To be quick to hear means to be quick to pay attention.
Have you ever, at some point in the past or today, looked at a child in school, a lot of you teachers,
or your own children, and say, did you hear me?
Your question was not, did you hear my voice only?
Did you hear what I said?
Did it register is what you mean?
Are you paying attention?
James is telling us we need to have an eagerness to hear God's word.
And when we do, when we are quick to hear, we're paying attention.
We want to hear it.
We will let it sink in.
We'll think about what we're reading or what we're listening to.
Because we want to take it to heart.
It's the word of God.
It matters to us as children of God.
So we've got to be quick to hear.
You know, almost everyone in James' audience would have only heard God's word read to them.
They would not have had their own copy.
The leaders of the church, when they received this letter from James,
they would have read it.
Really in small house group gatherings.
But most of the people in the New Testament times, they heard the word of God.
They didn't have the privilege that we do of having their own copy.
And so when we read this, be talking about being quick to hear,
it applies to us who are reading it ourselves.
Listen to God as he speaks through his word.
So the first step to thinking biblically is to listen carefully to what God is saying through his word
when you hear it read or taught like right now.
Or when you read it for yourself.
Next he says we must be slow to speak.
Let every person be slow to speak.
People throughout history have understood the importance of what James says here.
An ancient philosopher said we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.
The rabbis, Jewish rabbis, said it even better.
Men have two ears but one tongue that they should hear more than they speak.
The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction.
But the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth to hedge it in and keep it within proper bounds.
Think about that.
And then the Proverbs actually says it best.
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.
When he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
I think Abraham Lincoln must have got his well-known statement from that verse in Proverbs.
Lincoln is known for saying better remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
We need to let these kind of things just sort of sink in.
Because in spite of all these warnings, isn't it our natural tendency to do the opposite of what James is saying?
We're all too quick to speak, aren't we?
And too slow to listen.
And when we do this, two things happen.
We fail to discover God's way.
What God would have us do in a given situation.
We fail to discover his truth, his will.
And then, because we do that, we speak or act not based on what God tells us is the wise way to go, thing to do.
We speak or act based on our own feelings about the situation.
Our personal feelings.
Or just our past experiences with certain people or certain situations.
Or we may just think about what everybody else is saying and be influenced by that.
Popular opinions of the secular world.
You know, over the past several weeks, we've been looking at, in our series calling Think Biblically or Thinking Biblically,
we've been looking at what it means to think biblically about such issues as race.
Law enforcement, law and order.
We actually talked about the role of government in our lives, in our country.
Talked about law enforcement, their responsibility to carry out the law, enforce the law, protect and serve, those kinds of things.
We've been looking at, over the past few weeks, socialism.
And we spent two weeks on our personal political involvement.
Now I want to ask you, are you doing your best to think biblically about those issues?
Do you, as a Christian, when you watch the news or hear the news and see all that's going on,
are you trying to try to get a hold of it, put your mind around it, and think,
what does God's word say about this situation?
About what's right and what's wrong?
What's good, what's evil?
Or, do you form your views, your personal views, based on just how you feel at a given moment?
Do you just react to what you see on the news?
Or, do you go by your personal experiences with people of a different race?
Or your connection to people in law enforcement?
Or, do you base your views on what you heard on Fox News?
Or CNN?
Or some internet conspiracy theory?
You know, it's shocking to think about how many Christians think that whatever they read on the internet is right, is true.
And believe it.
Swallow it.
Hook, line, and sinker.
When a lot of it just defies reality.
Don't get sucked into internet conspiracy theories.
The only way we're ever going to learn to really think biblically is to be quick to listen to God.
As he speaks through his word.
Through his spirit.
And a lot of times, in order to be quick to listen like this, we've just got to not speak.
Be more concerned about listening, hearing from him.
Or doing the study and reading his word than just what we think, what we've experienced, or what somebody is telling us from the outside.
James tells us one more thing to be slow about.
We must be slow to anger.
Let every person be slow to anger.
James knew that when we are not quick to listen and slow to speak, we are more likely to say and do things out of anger.
Isn't that true?
Don't you find that when you don't slow down and stop and think, hold your tongue, you just let yourself go.
React.
Say, first thing comes off, comes out, you know, off the top of your head.
Don't you find there's a lot of anger in that?
James is probably describing someone who has deep-seated anger issues here.
They're an unteachable person.
They are quick to speak and slow to listen because they think they know it all.
You know, a lot of people don't have time to sit back and think, or they don't need to.
Because they think they know it all.
You know, generally speaking, this applies the younger you are.
When I was a teenager, I had all wisdom than any human being ever needed.
I didn't need to listen.
I certainly didn't need to listen to my parents.
People were older than me because I knew it all.
As I began life as a young adult, Lisa and I got married.
I still figured.
I pretty well got life figured out.
When I first began being a pastor, I just knew that I knew more than everybody else in the church.
But you know, the longer I've lived, the dumber I've got.
I don't know near as much as I used to know.
I have found that there's a lot of people in this world who can actually help me understand things.
God speaks through His Word, through His Spirit, and through a lot of wise people that He's put in our lives if we will listen.
Maturity helps us to better understand what James is talking about here.
But going back to the angry person.
Angry person doesn't think biblically because they just don't seem to understand their need to listen to God.
And as a result, they cannot enjoy a right relationship with God.
Look at what he says in verse 20.
For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God, the right way of life before God.
And really before other people.
If you've got anger issues, you need to deal with it.
You need to acknowledge it.
You need to confess it as the sin that it is.
You may need some help trying to identify the source of your anger.
How to get a better handle on it.
An angry person does not produce the righteousness of God in relationship with God or in relationship with other people.
Now keep in mind, James is writing to Christians.
And he's writing to us about the importance of listening to the Word of God.
That is a prerequisite to thinking biblically.
But it's not enough just to listen.
It's not enough to even think biblically.
We've got to act according to the truth of God's Word.
Let's look at point number two now.
We must be obedient to God's Word.
Both listening and obeying is commanded.
Note verse 22.
Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
He is emphasizing hear.
Hear.
Just don't hear only.
Listening to the Word of God is vitally important.
We can't obey it if we don't know it.
But just listening or just thinking is not sufficient.
I want us all to understand that obeying the Word of God is essential.
James is making a command here in verse 22 that includes a warning.
Look at the rest of it.
James is telling us that if you think God is pleased with you just because you've acquired knowledge of the Bible,
but you don't do what it says, then you are deceiving yourselves.
You know, I know in church on Sunday morning, a lot of people, you've grown up reading the Bible.
You know a lot about the Bible.
You may have memorized a lot about the Bible.
You may read the Bible every day.
But what James is talking about, what he is really emphasizing to us this morning is,
as important as it is for you to read it, to hear it, to know it,
God is most concerned with what you do with what you know.
How you act on it.
I want to be real clear here.
Don't misunderstand and think I'm downplaying the importance of reading or memorizing the Bible.
I'm not.
Reading and hearing the Bible is vital for our spiritual growth.
We should be daily Bible readers.
That's not out of style.
That's not old-fashioned.
That's not what people did when they were young or a generation ago.
If we're going to really know God, know how to please Him,
be able to live in close fellowship with Him,
we've got to read His Word to better understand who He is and how He wants to relate to us.
We've got to read His Word to know how to please Him, what does please Him and what does not.
We should be regularly hearing the Bible taught,
like it is here on Sunday mornings in these worship services.
Next week we're going to start back with Sunday school,
another opportunity to gather together,
smaller groups,
hear the Word of God taught,
maybe discuss it, talk about it,
apply it to one another's lives.
Being a student of God's Word
is essential
to learning
to think biblically.
But James is warning us,
don't deceive yourself into thinking that such Bible reading and Bible study are ends in themselves.
Your goal should never be to read through the Bible in a year
just so you can say to someone,
I read through the Bible in a year.
Your goal should never be to memorize so many verses a week,
even in a one or any other thing.
It's great to read through the Bible in a year.
It is a tremendous thing for you to memorize God's Word.
But our goal should be
putting it into practice,
doing what God tells us to do,
thinking and acting biblically in every area of our lives.
You know, God is,
God's really not,
I don't think He's impressed with us being here this morning.
It's easy to be here.
You get up,
you come,
you sit,
you listen,
hopefully.
What God is most concerned about is
what you and I do with what we get here
and what we get in our personal Bible reading.
See, God's most concerned
with how you're going to act this afternoon
with your family.
Next week,
as a husband,
as a wife,
as a parent,
as a child,
as a student,
wherever you go to school,
as a teacher,
as an employee,
as an employer,
you know,
that's where we find out
if we just think biblically
or if we're living biblically.
It's easy to do what we do here on Sunday.
But it's another thing
to go back home,
especially some homes,
or go to certain jobs,
be around certain people at school,
be around certain friends,
and really live like a Christian.
That's where God calls us
to be faithful to Him,
to look to Him
for the strength,
the boldness,
the wisdom,
the love,
to actually put into practice
what we say we believe.
I want us to apply
what James is saying
to what we've been studying
for the past several weeks
in this series.
Are your views on race,
on law and order,
on socialism,
political involvement,
all the things we've been looking at,
are they based on
what the Bible actually teaches
about those issues?
I'm going to think that
90,
at least 90% of people in this room,
you do think about
at least some of these issues.
You have opinions.
You have beliefs.
You may even have convictions.
Well,
are your views,
whatever you call them,
are they based upon
what God has taught
in His Word,
what God has revealed
in His Word,
what we've been looking at
over the past several weeks?
I want you to think about it.
Just use as an example,
if you just deep down
are a racist,
you just don't like
people
who don't look like,
who don't have the same
skin color as you.
I want you to understand
you are not right
with God.
Because we've seen
all human beings
are created
in the image of God.
That makes all people
of the same worth
and value
and dignity.
There is no distinction
because we're all created
in the image of God.
All people
have descended
from one set of parents,
Adam and Eve.
We're all of the same,
all human beings
are of the same bloodline.
We're all of the same
one human race.
And we can't
make distinctions
because
this person's
this color
or maybe they're
from a different
part of the world
or a different region
of the country.
We can't say
that we don't like
this person.
They're less than us
and be right
with God.
Now we can say it
all we want to
but we cannot say it
and be right
with God.
What we need
to learn to do
some things
are easier
than others.
We need to learn
to look at life,
all of life
through the lens
of scripture
and let the truth
of God's word
guide our thinking
and our living.
You know if you have
sunglasses
that are tinted
sort of greenish
you can
there's a sort of
a greenish tint
to what you look at.
Dark, dark blue
there's sort of
a bluish tint
or some other color.
The lens
you look through
has an effect
on how things
look to you.
We need to let
the Bible be
that lens
through which
we look at
all of life
and we look
at people
and life situations
based on what
God says
is true
is right
and not just
what we think
or feel
what other people
say.
That is the only
way that any
of us can
please God
if we're Christians
our Heavenly
Father.
As God's
people
we need to make
reading and
studying the Bible
one of the top
priorities
of our life.
It is essential
to our spiritual
health.
It doesn't matter
how long you've
been a Christian.
We've got to
continue to spend
time with the Lord
in prayer
in Bible study
Bible reading.
That's the only
way we're going
to grow
in our
knowledge of
Him
our closeness
to Him
the only way
we're going
to be able
to really and
truly know
how to know
and do His
will.
But the reason
we make this
a priority
is so that we
can learn
to actually
think biblically
and then with
God's help
live biblically.
What James
writes here
about being a
doer of the
Word
it appears
to be based
on what
Jesus taught
when He
concluded the
Sermon on the
Mount
Matthew 5,
6,
and 7.
I want you
to look at
this great
body of
teaching how
Jesus concluded
in Matthew 7
beginning in
verse 24.
Jesus said
everyone then
who hears
these words
of mine
and does
them
will be like
a wise man
who built
his house
on the rock
and the rain
fell and the
floods came
and the winds
blew and beat
on that house
but it did
not fall
because it
had been
founded
on the rock
and everyone
who hears
these words
of mine
and does
not do
them
will be like
a foolish
man who
built his
house on
the sand
and the rain
fell and the
floods came
and the winds
blew and beat
against the
house and it
fell and great
was the fall
of it.
What are you
building your
life upon?
The words
of Jesus
the word
of God
or the
words
of men?
There's really
only those
two options.
If Jesus
returned to
this world
today
and he
asked you
what have you
done with the
instructions
that I have
given you
in your
copy
of the Bible
how would
you respond?
Would you
have to be
honest and
say well
I've just
really not
read it.
I've just
basically
ignored it.
I want you
to know that
is not
acceptable
and if
that's you
when you
see Jesus
either at
your death
or his
second coming
you will
not be
acceptable
and so I
want to ask
you to
confess that
as the
sin that
it is
repent
of it
change
your mind
about what
you're doing
your life
is not so
busy that
you cannot
read the
Bible
make a
commitment
that right
now I
am going
to start
looking into
God's word
every day
with a prayer
Lord teach
me help
me to
think the
right way
help me to
live the
right way
or would
you say
to the
Lord that
you had
read his
Bible his
word you
had studied
even in
detail some
things would
you tell him
that you had
memorized some
of it well if
that's true
that's good
but don't
stop there
what the
Lord is going
to be most
interested in
hearing is your
answer to this
question what
did you do
with what
you read
what did
you do
with my
instructions
bottom line
it is good
for us to
think
biblically
but it is
vital
that we
also
live
biblically
think about
it
what are you
building your
life upon
what is the
foundation
and what
Jesus said
in that
passage that
we read
only a
life built
on the
truth of
his word
is going
to be able
to stand
be able to
stand and
weather the
storms of
life in
this world
be a
hearer
studier
of God's
word
but make
sure you
are a
doer
of what
you hear
and what
you study
let's pray
together
father
show us
now
just where
we stand
lord
help us
to not be
content
with knowledge
help us
to understand
that just
being able
to think
biblically
is not
sufficient
help us
right now
father to
just evaluate
just how
faithfully we
are seeking
to live
according to
the truth
of your
word
or help
us to so
respond to
you this
morning that
we leave
here determined
with your
help
the help
of the
indwelling
holy spirit
to be
doers
of what
we read
what we
hear
what we
know
help us
not to
deceive
ourselves
by thinking
knowledge
is enough
lord
i pray
that you
will work
right now
to make
it clear
to everyone
in this
room
that this
message
is to
christians
men and
women and
young people
who have
turned from
their sin
and put
their trust
in jesus
and him
alone for
their salvation
father don't
let anyone
in this
room
misunderstand
and think
that they
can earn
a right
standing with
you by
what they
do
but lord
help us
to understand
clearly
that if
we are
saved by
your grace
through faith
in jesus
it will be
evident
by the way
that we
live
by the
things that
we do
let's
just all
be
prayerful
and listen
to the
lord
and respond
to him
as he's
speaking to
us during
this time
I
to
the