Hearing and Doing

9-1-24

Hoonah-Hadley

James 1:17-27

Call to Worship Psalm 45:1-2,6-9

Daily Verse James 1:22

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” This epistle is many things. In its simplicity, it is full of practical advice for practical living for humanity in general. All scripture is God breathed, but a little history on the penmen shed’s light on the matter. James comes to us from a position of authority in the church, was a leader and presided at the council of Jerusalem. (Acts15) Along with Peter and John, James was considered one of the pillars of the church. (Gal. 2:9) The New Testament names James as one of the sons of Mary, Jesus’ mother. (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) James was skeptical of Jesus during His earthly ministry (John 7:5) but was converted when he became an eyewitness to the Resurrection.  Any skeptics out there? (1 Cor. 15:7) Early church historians identified him as “James the Just”, testifying to his extraordinary godliness, his zeal for obedience to the law of God, and his singular devotion to prayer. It was said that James’ knees became so calloused from prayer that they resembled the knees of a camel. Josephus records that James was martyred in A.D. 62. Oh yea, one more thing, Galatians 1:19 “But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” We have no account of their childhood aside from Jesus at the temple when He was 12, but we can only imagine what growing up in the same household of the Savior of the world would have been like. There is definitely something to be said for the company you keep. This epistle is many things, but faith and active works of obedience receives special attention.

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Vs. 17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” There are “good” gifts and “perfect” gifts in life, these come from above. Acts 2:38 “…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. Death in Adam, life in Christ, Romans 5:12-21 “…But the free gift…and the gift by the grace of one Man, Jesus Christ…and of the gift of righteousness…even so through one Man’s  righteous act the free gift came to all men…” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As a reminder, our daily message is neither the beginning nor end of the matter, nor is it complete. We always want to encourage you to further the search in your daily prayer and meditation in His word. 1 Cor. 12:4 “Now there are diversities of gifts…” We can consider our lives a gift. A newborn baby is a gift. Red raspberries are gifts. Spring water is a gift. Fresh air is a gift. The sun, moon and stars are gifts. The list is a long one, but they all begin with the “free gift…by the grace of one Man’s righteous act.” Where do these gifts come from? “The Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Nature’s lights vary and are subject to phases, eclipses, shadows, dawn, noon day and dusk. But God, the author of light, there is no changes of brightness or clarity. There is no fluctuation in His character. Vs. 18 “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” This is a reference to regeneration or being born again by which we are adopted into His family. 1 Peter 1:23 “having been born again…through the word of God…” John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” God in His great mercy and abundant grace saved us that we might be a kind of firstfruits.

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“Firstfruits” is found throughout scripture. That which is the first and best belongs to God. It is like the waters surrounding Hoonah Alaska, vast, rich, deep, abundant but in a word, beautiful. Romans 12:1 and Rev. 14:4 best describe it. “…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Rev. 14:4 “…These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” Essentially we are to give our first and best to the Lord. The title to Oswald Chambers classic book sums it up: “My Utmost For His Highest”. James 1:19 “So then…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Vs. 19 is a natural result of being God’s firstfruits. Why does God’s word tell us these things? Because we need to be told. James puts a strong emphasis on hearing in this chapter as a reminder why God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth. In this case, it is the person who listens intently to the Word of truth who progresses into godliness. There is little else we might find so profitable in life than the hearing of God’s word. Psalm 1:1-3 and Joshua 1:8 are forever applicable at all times in all things. Psalm 85:8 “I will hear what God the Lord will speak.” Psalm 94:9 “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?” Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear and increase learning.” Rev. 13:9 “If anyone have an ear, let them hear…”  There is a lot of noise in the world, a lot of voices. The question is always before us, what are we listening to, and to whom do we give our ear. The middle portion of that verse is the opposite, “slow to speak.” Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but those who restrain their lips, are wise.” The untamable tongue in James 3, herein a few highlights. “…the tongue is a little member and boast great things…it is a fire…defiles the whole body…an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

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Enough said, thank You Jesus, thank You Lord. The conclusion to vs. 19 “…slow to anger.” James is setting the stage here, hitting on some major flaws in human nature. Anger anyone? Anger expresses itself in many ways, is born from various different sources, it is real and often ready to fly. God knows anger is an issue with humanity so He tells us here to think before you act, consider your words and behavior before you break something or someone. Anger is often expressed in faultfinding, belittling, condemning, criticizing, finger pointing. As the saying goes, “Hurting people hurt people.” Where does bullying come from? Being bullied. Joe Rogan, a commentator for the UFC, a professional fighting organization, says, “A bad childhood makes for a good fighter.” Folks often say “He was preaching to me this morning.” Trust me, God first speaks to the preacher. Anger? I know it all to well. Jacob was angry. Moses was angry. God is occasionally angry. Proverbs 16:32 “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty.” Eph. 4:31 should conclude the matter. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger…and evil speaking be put away from you…and be kind to one another…”  Vs. 20 “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” We’ll leave you alone with this. Vs. 21 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness…wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Put the garbage at the curb. Humble yourself, let the word of God dwell in you richly, your souls eternal dwelling rest upon it. Vs. 22 “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” This one should be on the tablets of our hearts, over our door frames, on our mirrors. Eph. 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Vs. 25 “But those who look into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it…a doer of the work, this one will be blessed…”  Amen.