Hearing and Doing

Introduction

Will you indulge me in an exercise this morning? I hope you have a Bible. And will you hold that Bible in your lap in front of you? And I want you to just think about what that book is and what it means. And what it has taken to pin that book. What it’s taken to translate and to preserve that book. And everything that book means to us. When I ask you to open your Bible, I’m going to ask you to go to the book of James, chapter one. And there James will tell us that this is the word of truth. It is one of those good and perfect gifts that God has given to us.

But it is a book that makes some bold claims about itself. It says of itself that it is the power of God and the salvation. It makes the claim to be living and active, powerful. It makes the claim to not only have the words of truth, but to be truth itself.

And we do a pretty good job of making a modern day application of these ancient words. But too many times we do a good job of making a modern day application of these ancient words to somebody else. This morning I’d like for us to try to make a modern day application of this book, of these words, to ourselves. No one else but us. James chapter 1 will be our text this morning. In a very simple lesson, it was simply entitled Hearing and Doing. This is not a new text to you. This is not a new concept. But I want us to rethink this concept because so many times when we talk about the necessity, the essentiality of hearing and doing the Word of God, we are pointing a finger outward to other people, maybe to our religious friends and neighbors who may, we may feel fall short of this goal.

But I want us to recognize that when James, by inspiration, pinned these words, he was writing them to Christians. He was writing them to people like you and I who have already obeyed the gospel. Who assemble on the Lord’s day such as this, but maybe we’re falling into the trap of their Christianity, their religion being nothing more than an empty shell. And let’s see if we can make application and guard against that. James’s style of writing is wonderful. James springboards from one idea to the next. If you’re the type of person that’s inclined to write in your Bible, in James, you’re going to have a lot of lines underlining things and arrows pointing ahead, because one word springs into another thought, and then that thought’s going to have a word in it that’s going to spring forth to another thought.

He has been praising God, who does not give evil gifts, such as temptation, but every good and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with whom there’s no variation. That springboards into one of the greatest gifts that he has given us when he says in chapter 1, verse 18, of his, speaking of the Father of Lights, of His own will he brought us forth by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. And so that word is going to springboard into his next discussion. The gift of the word of truth. And now he wants to talk to us about that word of truth and that gift of God that will benefit us only if we hear and do.

1. Be Swift to Hear the Word of Truth

And so this morning I want to talk to you about the word of truth, the word that we’re going to spend this half a week discussing together. The word of truth, this good and perfect gift. Having said we’ve been brought forth by the word of truth, he uses a connector phrase in verse 19 by saying, so then. Don’t miss that connecting phrase. So then means, based upon the point I’ve already made, I’m going to make a next point. Because we’ve been brought forth by the word of truth, wherein we can be a kind of first fruits of his characters, so then this also follows. Verse 19. My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. I think that passage, that verse has been taken out of context too many times.

We treat it almost as if it belongs in the book of Proverbs and said, When you’re talking to family or friends at work or in the neighborhood, apply this adage. Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. And we interpret that to mean talk less and listen more. Now that’s good advice.

You’ve heard that, haven’t you? Do twice as much listening as you do talking. That’s wonderful advice. But that’s not James’ advice. James is not trying to get us to listen to our friends and family. James is admonishing us to listen to the word of truth. So then be swift to hear. Hear what? The word of truth. Be slow to speak. And slow to wrath. When it comes to the word of truth. And so, no surprise to you, point number one is we need to hear the word of God, the word of truth. Be swift to hear. Swift to hear, quick to hear, sudden to hear means that there’s some urgency, there’s some anxiousness. I hope that your drive over this morning was in anticipation, not of seeing me, but of hearing and studying the word of God.

I hope you’re anticipating this week of meetings. Because you know that the Bible is going to be open and you’re going to be able to hear the word of God.

The word of God.

Every parent and child knows what that means. Don’t talk back. That means you listen. You don’t have some smart electric retort to what I have said. That could be the meaning here. Swift to hear, slow to speak. The Apostle Paul would say I’ve become your enemy because I’ve spoken the truth.

But it also may simply mean slow to speak in the sense of slow to insert our own words. When it comes to God, we certainly should do a lot more listening than we do talking. Listen to what God says. No talking, no inserting our own opinions, our own views. You and I both know that in a Bible study, some of the most dangerous words are, well, I think, or I’ve always believed. Seems like to me, nothing can bring a real Bible study to a halt any quicker than those phrases. Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Don’t become angry at the preaching of the Word of God. I guess the best illustration of this, and I know this practice has kind of gone by the wayside, and maybe because of the changing in times, maybe it needed to, and maybe it didn’t.

But have you ever done the old timely process of knocking on doors? Try it if for no other reason to understand what wrath regard to the word of God means. You’ll literally have a door slammed in your face. Some people just don’t want to hear, do they? And they’ll become angry.

I’ve got a good preacher friend who his in-laws were not members of the church. They were members of a denomination and they lived in a different state, and every time they would go visit the in-laws, they would bring up the Bible. And they want to talk to them about the Bible, particularly about authority, because that was one of the greatest disagreements between them. Is the need to have biblical authority for everything we teach and practice. And so every visit with the in-laws would involve a biblical discussion about authority. Until one time when they visited, they pulled up into the in-laws’ driveway, and the in-laws were standing out on the front porch, which was not usual. So they got their luggage out of the car, walked up to the front porch, and instead of the in-laws parting and letting them come into the front door, they just stood there blocking the door.

And the in-laws said, We need to set some ground rules for this visit. We love you. We want you to come visit. You’re welcome in our home. But we don’t want to hear any more about that gopher wood. They’d had it. Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Why? The very next verse will tell us. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. When the gospel is preached and it condemns you of your sins, convicts your heart, steps on your toes. You can get mad at the preacher and say all you want to as you storm away, but that will not produce righteousness. By implication, what does produce righteousness? The word of truth does. Hearing the word of truth is what’s going to produce righteousness, not you getting mad and storming away in a huff because I didn’t like what he said.

The wrath of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. And so don’t get angry at the preaching of the word of God. The first step is just to listen. Listening requires humility, doesn’t it? The posture that you have taken this morning requires some humility. If at your setting, looking at this ugly face and listening to him talk, requires some humility.

I pray to God I have that humility. The humility of the Ethiopian eunuch, who was reading from the scroll of Isaiah as he went on his way back home, and the evangelist stopped him and said, Do you understand what you’re reading? I’m going to be honest, and if I put myself in his shoes in that chariot, you know what I might have said? I got this. In fact, all I’m just studying up, I’m going to lecture about Isaiah when I get back to Ethiopia. But what did he say? How can I? Unless somebody show me. That’s what listening to preaching, that’s what listening in a Bible class, that’s what a Bible study is all about. Humility. I’m going to be slow to speak. I’m going to be slow to wrath.

And I’m going to listen to what God has to say. Because that’s the only thing that’s going to produce righteousness. Now, why do people get mad? You ever wondered about that? Sometimes we’re naive in our Christianity. Why do people get mad when we try to teach them the truth? We’re not trying to strong arm anybody. And most of the time we’re not trying to embarrass or hurt anybody. Or even trying to offend anybody. That may be the result, but that’s not our goal. Why do people get mad? Sometimes violently so. The next verse explains. Verse 21, therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. That’s what produces wrath. Is when we have wickedness and filthiness in our life. And it is exposed by the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And when that happens, there’s two reactions. One is humbly falling on our knees. And as David was exposed in his filthiness and overflow of wickedness, saying, I have sinned.

2. Receive With Meekness

The other reaction is to get angry. And to say, Who are you? You holier than thou snob with your nose up in the air? Who do you think you are to tell me how to live my life? But we must remind ourselves the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. So lay aside that filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive, verse 21 says, receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul. Step two, James says, first of all, you must be humble enough to listen. Don’t talk, don’t talk back, don’t become angry. Just listen to what God says. But then we must also receive. That’s another step. And maybe, and we understand sometimes the distinction between hearing and listening, or listening and hearing.

I forget which one’s supposed to be the good one, but sometimes you can hear the audible noises, but you’re not really listening. And sometimes parents to children or wives to husbands will say, Now, are you listening? Did you really hear what I said? And I think that’s what James is saying here, the idea of really receiving it. Not just hearing the audible noises, but receiving that message. I have an advantage as a teacher and as a preacher. I get to see this sometimes. Sometimes you can see the light bulb go off. And the way that’s usually visualized for the preacher or the teacher is that when you’re in a Bible class or in a sermon, you get what I call the church of Christ, Amen. That’s you nod your head.

That’s when you know they’re receiving it. They’re not just listening, they’re not just tuned out, but they’re going, oh, I get it. Now sometimes you’ll get the other. But that’s the concept of receiving it. Not just hearing it, but saying, Yes, I understand that. I see how it applies in my life. I understand that’s me. And there’s some wickedness and maybe even some overflow of that in my life that needs to be read by this gospel. Yes. Receive with meekness. Meekness, you understand, is the idea of power under strength. The meekness, the humility that says, that’s me. And any true hearer of the word will experience that receiving. Because you see, these aren’t two thousand year old dead words written in a dead language to a dead society.

These truly are living and active words that can pierce the heart. They’re powerful. Your preacher, and I mean this term generically. Your preacher’s not that smart. I’m not that smart. And so when someone comes out after a sermon on Sunday morning and shakes my hand and leans in and whispers and says, Thank you. I know that was for me. What you’re going to see next is a clueless look. What? I know you were preaching at me this morning. No, I wasn’t. I’m not that smart. I many times don’t know what’s going on in your personal private lives. Sometimes, even if you tell me. And if I know, I don’t remember it enough to incorporate it into my sermons. That wasn’t me having great insight into your life.

3. The Word Must Be Implanted

That wasn’t me touching your heart. It’s Paul, I’m just some broken vessel. That was the gospel. It’s living and active and powerful. And so we must receive it with meekness. But we receive with meekness. The New King James says, the implanted word. I like the New International version here. It says, receive with meekness the word which, when implanted, is able to save your soul. See, it’s more of an active voice than a passive one. Because it has to be active. It has to be implanted within us in order to be of any benefit.

You can see by now that James is leading us on a progression. And understand that every step of this progression to its finality must be accomplished for the word of truth to benefit us at all. If you hear and receive, the word of truth will benefit you very little. We’ve got to do all of the steps. And so it’s not enough to go to the right church. You know, we take great pride in conservative churches of Christ, that we stand by the Bible. We speak where the Bible speaks and is silent where it is silent. We give book, chapter, and verse for everything we teach and practice, and even for those things we refuse to teach and practice. And we take great pride that we demand that of our Bible class teachers and our preachers.

And that we want a preacher who will preach the Bible and nothing but the Bible, and if he ceases to do that, we’ll call him on it, and if he continues to do that, we’ll run him out of town on a rail. Those are commendable things. But we have lulled ourselves into a false sense of security if we think that just because I found a church will there do that, then that’s all. No. James says you’ve got to hear, you’ve got to receive that truth that is being taught. And it’s got to be implanted. You can’t hear that concept of implanted without thinking about the parable of the soul, can you? About how many times the word of God is spoken of as a seed that must be planted within us.

This is the idea of, to use a modern term, of internalizing the scriptures. That it must not just lay upon the surface, it finds itself and it finds its root into the soil of our hearts. It is implanted. It becomes a part of us. And so we can unapologetically and biblically say that it’s the Holy Spirit living in us and working in and through us. Not in some miraculous way, but in the sense that I have that word implanted in my heart. And so that it’s no longer I that lives, but Christ living in me. Because that word of God is inside me guiding me. Directing me and at times shaming me. Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul verse 22 says we’re not through but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

4. Be Doers of the Word, Not Hearers Only

Now, it’s at this point that we could take off in a different direction and start talking to some of our religious friends and neighbors. And to show that from Jesus through Paul and James and Peter, every writer of the New Testament emphasizes obedience. And it’s not enough to have some better felt than told experience and to just simply be saved by grace through faith alone, without any obedience on our part. We could certainly preach that sermon. But remember, James is not talking to people trying to convince them to be baptized. He is talking to people who have already submitted to the scriptural form of baptism. And he’s telling these New Testament few sitting Christians that you need to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

Deceiving yourself. Modern-day vernacular would say, you’re kidding yourself. If you think coming to the right church, listening to the right sermon, demanding book, chapter, and verse is all that’s required. You’re kidding yourself. Because you see, coming to the church building and listening to the painful truth is not some kind of whipping that squares your account with God. It’s a prodding to get you to do what it says you must do once you leave the church building. It must change us. And part of that change is change in transformative action. Be doers of the word. Now, again, I said we must take these steps to their finality to really be saved by the word of God. But don’t skip ahead because you can’t be a doer of the word without listening and without receiving and without implanting it.

Sometimes we get the cart before the proverbial horse. And we want to force action upon someone else or ourselves when there’s never really been an implanting. And we wonder why the action didn’t stick. Because it never was really implanted. And then translates into action. But be doers of the word and unhearers only, deceiving yourselves. And one of the most famous illustrations in all of the New Testament continues: for if anyone is a hearer of the word and is not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was. You know that illustration as well as I do. The mirror is the word of God. It’s the word of God that shows us for what we really are.

It exposes us. But it’s also a mirror in the sense that it shows us what we can be. But that mirror is no good if we look into it and see ourselves and don’t actually do anything about it. A mirror doesn’t fix. It just shows you what needs to be fixed. The fixing is up to you. And so it is with the Word of God. It’s not going to grab a hold of your tie and straighten it for you. It’s not going to wipe the smudge off your face. It’s not going to comb your hair. It’s going to show you what you need to do. No miracle is going to ensue. Even in the first century, in the day of tremendous miraculous powers and actions of the Holy Spirit, have you observed that in the book of Acts that every time God or the Holy Spirit was involved, they always sent a messenger to that Ethiopian eunuch.

5. Continue in It, Not a Forgetful Hearer

Why didn’t God or the Holy Spirit or the angel just go to the Ethiopian? God went to the preacher and said, You go. It was always the word. And it was up to the respondent to act upon that. Be doers of the word. Verse 25 says, here’s the result of one who does not do. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it. And is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one will be blessed in what he does. Not a forgetful hearer, but one time past action. He says you must continue in it. This is a life-changing obedience. I don’t know you.

But I imagine your presence here at 9 30 on Sunday morning makes it pretty safe that I can say that you’ve got no problem listening to the word of God, even receiving it, implanting it, and have the willingness at least to do. But maybe you’re like me. And verse 25 is the problem.

The forgetful hearer. What’s the old adage? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Are you like me? You like good preaching. And by good I mean it’s true to the book. It’s in the book. And you listen to that in a sturgeon. And maybe even you take notes. And not just notes where you’re writing down the points on the PowerPoint and writing down the points into the verses that were quoted there, but you’re taking notes of action. You’re saying, yes, I need to do that. I need to be better at that. He’s talking to me this morning. Or I need to quit that practice. Or I need to work on trying to remove that attitude from my life. And so you write those things down and you underline them and use exclamation points and ask your wife for the highlighter so you can highlight that point.

I’m going to do that. Days, weeks and months pass. And one Sunday morning, because of circumstances, you’re running late to services, and you’re scrambling to find your Bible, and you grab your Bible in the rush out the door, you drop your Bible. And out from it falls a piece of paper. And you pick up that piece of paper and to look at it, and there’s those underlined, highlighted and exclaimed words that you’ve seen for the first time in months, that you’ve thought of for the first time in months, and a sense of shame comes over you. And you wad up that piece of paper in your shame and throw it away.

That I forgot.

In fact, I gave him that polite amen.

Conclusion

But I forgot. If I were a smarter man, I would say I have the solution. And I would sell you a book that would tell you how you needed to do the rest of this, but I don’t have the solution. But I know you better come up with one. Whether it’s post-it notes, whether it’s an accountability partner, or whether it’s just tying a string around your finger. We better figure out something that’s going to remind us to put into action on a daily basis what we hear the Word of God telling us to do. And what we humbly agree we ought to be doing. And we have every intention to do, but sometimes the mud of life bogs us down, and we forget.

But James’ admonition is that he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer, this one will be blessed in what he does. Is that exclusive language? This one and only this one. I think so. What you’re holding are the inspired words of God that can bring an inexpressible joy and an eternity in heaven. If you’ll heed the word and to be doers of it and somehow not forget. Thank you for your kind attention and patience this morning.