Keep Pressing On Series

Christianity Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Part 4: Keep Pressing on

James 1:16-27

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - March 4, 2012

*There is no doubt that God wants us to keep moving forward in the Christian life. After many years of faithfully serving the Lord, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi and said:

13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14)

*The Lord wants us to keep moving forward in the Christian life, and in these verses James shows us how.

1. First: God wants us to restrain our tongues and our temper.

*So in vs. 18-20, James says this to Christians:

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.

19. Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

20. for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

[1] The Lord wants us to restrain our tongues.

*Tongue trouble is one of the most important topics in James’ letter. Chapter 3 explores tongue trouble in great detail. But here in vs. 19, James simply said, “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.”

*All things being equal, we would get along a whole lot better with other people if we would “be swift to hear and slow to speak.”

[2] The Lord wants us to restrain our tongues. -- But He also wants us to restrain our temper.

*Again in vs. 19-20, James tells Christians:

19. Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

20. for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

*Our tongue and our temper. I think God’s Word put these two together, because so many times they go together. We don’t restrain our temper, so we don’t restrain our tongue.

*Our selfish, sinful anger can be a dangerous and destructive thing. Anger can lead us to say things that cut like a knife. And our tongues can do damage that goes far beyond our expectation.

*Bill Tolar helps us see this in a story about a young girl. She had the bad habit of talking about other people. Then her papaw told her he wanted to show her how much damage she was doing with her tongue. He waited for a real windy day, then gave her a large bag filled with pillow feathers.

*Papaw told her to go to the top of a steep hill, and scatter those feathers to the wind. She followed his instructions, then came back and asked: “Now what do I do?” -- Papaw said: “Now go back and pick up all the feathers.” (1)

*It can be much, much harder to undo the damage we do with our tongues.

-So God wants us to restrain our tongues and our temper.

2. He also wants us to receive His Word.

*In vs. 21, James tells believers: “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

*The AMP Bible says: 21. So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

*Last week we saw that God’s Word can give us new birth and new belonging as part of the family of God. But here James is stressing the power of God’s Word to give us new behavior. And that’s what the Word will do, IF we will receive it.

*That word “receive” carries the idea of holding the Word, embracing it, making it your own. James is talking about us holding God’s Word in our heart, -- allowing it to mold and shape our lives. James is talking about us basing our lives on the Bible, -- allowing it to transform our behavior.

*On the night before the cross, in John 15:3, Jesus told His followers: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

*And in Ephesians 5, where Paul was talking about Christian marriage, he said:

25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.