Bona Fide- A Study Of James- Part 5- "Getting Glad " Series

Bona Fide

A study of James

Genuine Christian living

Part 5

“Getting Glad in the same britches you got mad in”

Today as we continue on or mission to discover

How to live as Bona Fide Believers in Jesus Christ

According to the book of James

We come to a passage of scripture that truly hits home with me

I can tell you

I don’t have any tattoos

I don’t want ant tattoos

I am not prejudice against those who have them

And

I believe that the Pharisees in today’s time that preach that they are unbiblical

Need to read their bibles in context

But for me

I have enough scars on my body

Due to things sometimes beyond my control

And sometimes due to my own stupidity

That paying someone to put more marks on my already marked up body

Does not compute

In my mind it just don’t make sense

But

If I were to decided to spend my hard earned money on some skin ink

I can assure you this is what I would have written on my body

James 1:19-21

Hits home with me

And I choose to hide this verse in my heart instead of having it written on my arm

But

I can tell you there are times when a visual would help me get past issues that I sometimes struggle with

Please open your bibles to James 1

Let me read verses 19-21 for you then we will come back and break them down and apply them to our lives

In an effort to become Bona Fide

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger[a] does not produce the righteousness[b] God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”

James has been laying out principals for us

He has been drawing us a picture with dots

And for the last few weeks we have been connecting those dots

Last week we looked at the source of temptation in our lives

And we saw how God can use the storms and wrecks that come from surrender to temptation

And how Old slick can use temptations to lure us into sin

But that he can only use the ammo we give him

And we saw how it is our own hearts that is the source of temptation in our lives

Today’s message jumps right on that line of teaching

James gives us practical tools for Genuine

Bona Fide Christian living

I need you to hear me on this

The world outside those doors often sees Christians as Hypocrites

Why

Because we often act different than our guide book tells us we should

We Read

This stuff

We talk about it

Even preach it

But we don’t apply it to our lives

And so when they look at a believer who does this

They instantly think

He ain’t Bona Fide

He ain’t genuine

So in order to help teach us how to be Bona Fide

And be seen as Bona Fide

James addresses so issues that are common to all humans

But that are obstacles to the gospel in the lives of believers

So the first thing James addresses from today’s teaching is listening

Notice first in verse 19 a

Who he is talking or writing to

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:”

James is writing to the believers

The ones who have already placed their faith in Jesus for salvation

He is talking to those who have surrendered to his Lordship in their lives

We often make the mistake of holding non believers to the same standards that we are held to

But

They often don’t know the standards

So

We must introduce them to the one who laid out the standards and let him change them

So he continues

In Verse 19 b

“You must all be quick to listen”

Quick to listen

I understand quick on my feet

I very seldom am

Unless something is chasing me or about to fall on me

I understand quick witted

It often comes out as sarcasm

But I get it- I understand it

But quick to listen

When I first hear this I tend to want to think of a game show

Imagine sitting with a buzzer in your hand and

Trying to be the first to hear what is being asked

Buzz

But that is not what James means here

What James means is

Pay Attention

Active listening is what he is talking about

You can listen without hearing—right

James is saying pay attention

When you are listening

Clear your mind