In 1988, the advertising agency of Wieden & Kennedy met with a client to discuss campaign ideas on how to grow their client’s market share in the sports apparel industry. Borrowing their inspiration from the last words of a prisoner on death row, the Just Do It campaign was launched and was wildly successful, helping Nike grow their market share from 18% to 43% in just 10 years. Just Do It.
Throughout this campaign, Nike enlisted people from varying ethnicities and races, as well as numerous athletes (such as Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan) in order to get people to NOT just listen to and watch sports, but to get off the couch and go out and achieve their own greatness.
While Nike thought they had come up with a novel campaign that grew their annual sales at the time by over $8 billion, Just Do It was actually a campaign that was first launched over 2000 years earlier in the Jerusalem Church led by none other than the little brother of Jesus. And so turn with me this morning to the book of James as we continue in our series called Faith and Works. And James’ message to HIS church then, and OUR church now, is Just Do It – stop being just a listener and go out and put your faith in action.
We learned in week one of this series that the first chapter of James (and really the entire book) contains a series of tests that we can use to determine the genuineness of our faith. Test #1 was how to respond rightly to trials. Test #2 was how to resist temptation. And Test #3, which we’ll explore today, is how to receive and respond rightly to Biblical truth. In other words, how do we put legs under the truths we hear from Scripture…quite literally, how do we put our faith into action?
James 1:19-27
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 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. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 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 starts out this section by saying, “Beloved brothers.” He’s literally talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ…his spiritual family…his church. And he’s giving them some commands as a test of their response to God’s Word. And as James challenges them AND US to get off the couch, the first thing he tells us TO DO is to…
1. RECEIVE THE WORD HUMBLY – vs 19-21
Look back at the second half of verse 19: "let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…"Basically, James is telling us to “hurry up and listen.” And this is a good word, because can you guess what my natural inclination is? It’s to do exactly the opposite.
So he starts with the challenge to be “quick to hear.” I’m sure we’ve all been around that one person who just talks too much. They listen just long enough to quickly formulate a response so that the second you take a breath, they can jump in and start blabbing. If you know someone like this, don’t point any fingers. But a person who is quick to hear is a person who is eager to learn. They’ve learned that the best form of communication is listening.
James also says that this person is “slow to speak.” They are humble enough to know that THEIR thoughts and THEIR words aren’t the most important thing going on. This is all about becoming a good listener. In fact, leadership experts will tell you that one of the MOST important aspects of interpersonal communication is listening.
So James says to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and finally, be slow to anger. This doesn’t mean that all anger is sinful…there are times that we should be filled with a righteous indignation. But the quick-tempered, selfish anger of the world betrays lack of trust in God and lack of love for others. James is literally saying that a lack of listening, combined with a lack of restraint in speech, leads to ill-tempered action.
And then look quickly at verse 20: "for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." Let me sidebar here for just a quick minute because there’s some application that’s too good to miss. A few years ago a friend acknowledged that his relationship with one of his kids had devolved into a lot of anger and yelling. This was the verse that I shared…that according to God’s Word, my anger does not produce righteousness in you. It makes ME feel better, Amen? But my anger it does not lead to transformation in YOUR heart. In fact, the Apostle Paul reminds us that it was God’s KINDNESS that brought us to repentance (Romans 2:4). In other words, the self-reliant anger of man, even when directed against some wrongdoing, fails to recognize that mere human reproach cannot change another person’s heart, and thus it does not produce the righteousness of God. Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…
So let’s step back and apply this to the context of receiving God’s Word. When you approach God’s Word, do you typically do it hurriedly? Do you approach God’s Word in such a way that says, “Here’s what I’m thinking and here’s what I want to get out of this”? Do you hear the Word of God proclaimed and immediately think of someone ELSE in your life that needs to hear this? Do you look for ways to prove that this particular passage isn’t relevant for YOU?
One of the ways that we as pastors are often grieved is when we see someone process truth on the basis of whether or not they like what they hear…based on how it makes them feel. I worry if sometimes that we feel our way into our beliefs rather than believing our way into our feelings. I have sat across from professing Christians in counseling sessions that are reading the black and white ink on the pages of the Bible, and I have watched them get mad because of an unwillingness to submit to the authority of Scripture. That’s what James is warning against here.
He continues in verse 21 on how to receive the Word humbly: "Put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." If you’ve taken any of our Biblical Counseling courses, there’s this familiar phrase: “put off and put on.” Put off the bad stuff and put on the good stuff. James says that to receive the Word humbly, you have to first take off your filthy clothes. This is kind of gross, but in the original language the word filthiness is closely related to a term used for earwax. How gross is that? But you get the word picture being painted…that just like wax buildup can impair our physical hearing, sin can greatly impair our spiritual hearing.
James is saying to put away approaching God’s Word in a flippant manner. Put away approaching God’s Word with any bit of arrogance or sense of entitlement. Put away the idols in your life. Put away ANYTHING that is causing you to not worship God rightly. Because only then can we receive with meekness the implanted word.
The word implanted would have been the same word in the original language used to describe pressing a jewel into the head of a physical idol. It had to be firmly affixed so that it would never fall out. I love how hundreds of years earlier God spoke prophetically through the prophet Jeremiah when he said, “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” That was a promise looking ahead for me and you today, that if you are IN CHRIST, God’s Word has been implanted in your heart, and it will save your soul (meaning you’ll be sanctified, or made to look like Jesus). In other words, it will change the way you live…and it all starts with receiving the Word of God humbly.
After we receive the Word humbly, James then says that we should…
2. REGARD THE WORD HIGHLY – vs – 22-25
In college, I was famous for spending about two hours before a big exam and cramming all the information I had missed the prior two weeks while skipping class. And I could usually pull off a pretty good grade…but two days later I couldn’t tell you one thing I had learned. This is what James is warning against when it comes to God’s Word. In fact, in verse 25 he tells us how we SHOULD regard God’s Word. Listen as I read from the Christian Standard Bible: "But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does." It’s one thing to glance over the Scriptures like you’re cramming for an exam. But it’s another to “look intently,” to pause, to dwell, and to meditate on them. Growing up, I had a plaque with Psalm 1:2 hanging over my bed: "His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates day and night." The psalmist says that this man is blessed.
James compares this person to the one that looks at Scripture the same way some of us quickly glance in the mirror on our way out of the house. We slam through our quiet time because we’re running late and by the time we get to work, we can’t even remember the passage that we read, let alone act on what we learned. This really beat me up this week as I studied—every week before I’m preaching the sermon to you, I’m preaching it to me, and I don’t always say AMEN. How often do I look intently at the pages of Scripture? How often do I gaze deeply? I absolutely believe that the Word of God is the perfect law of freedom, as James writes…that it’s the way to be free from the bondage of sin. That it’s the way to know God and live for his glory? But if this is true, why do I often only take a passing glance at his Word?
Let me give you a few categories of how we receive God’s Word:
1. Indifference. Maybe you aren’t following Jesus today. This is probably how you might respond. I’m indifferent. I don’t think about God’s Word. I don’t read God’s Word. This could also be the believer whose heart is calloused this morning. Indifference.
2. Convenience. Maybe you’re excited to use Scripture to support an opinion you have or a piece of your agenda. You quote Scripture to support your positions on topics and maybe that’s about it.
3. First Aid. Maybe you go to Scripture only when you’re having a problem or in crisis mode.
4. Academics. Maybe you view the Bible as a curriculum to be mastered and not a mirror to be gazed into. Maybe you use the Bible to defeat others or put people in their place. But it hasn’t transformed you.
5. Absorption. This is the person James is describing. The person who ABSORBS the Word will be full of the Word. They will find the strength to endure trials. They will have tools in their toolbox to defeat temptations. This is the person that tells other people what they’re learning…and how it’s changing them.
One of our pastors recently shared a story from his Life Group. He said that last week they were talking about insulating our minds with Scripture as we battle temptation. And there was a relatively new believer in the group that had just purchased a brand new Journaling Bible. And in just a few weeks of owning that new Bible, she had filled the margins with notes, there were sticky notes all over the place, and there were tons of highlights. She is insulating her mind with Scripture. She is absorbing the Word! She’s in it. She’s studying. She’s hungry. And it’s changing her life. She’s being transformed.
I have been so convicted this week by the words of Psalm 19: "Your Word is more precious than gold, even much fine gold." We all know that gold is one of the most valuable things in the world. But the Psalmist says that it doesn’t even compare to the Bible in value. Do you believe that? Practically speaking, do you really? By way of time spent, heart affections, knowledge—do you value the Scriptures?
• Do you value the Scriptures more than time spent on social media?
• Do you value the Scriptures more than your favorite sports team?
• Do you value the Scriptures more than sleeping in, the evening news, a long walk, or your favorite book?
You see, what we value, we give our time and attention to. It’s really as simple as that. It’s my hope and prayer that whatever value you are placing on God’s Word, that you’d elevate it even more. That you’d take a next step today in regards to reading, studying, meditating, or memorizing God’s Word. And when you receive his Word humbly, when you regard it as being more valuable than ANYTHING else, then you will…
3. RESPOND TO THE WORD IMMEDIATELY – vs 22; 26-27
If there were a theme verse for the entire book of James, it would be verse 22: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James says that hearing the word without action is self-deceptive. We hear it or read it, and we forget it as soon as we look away. But we think we’re good because we’ve checked the box…we did our devotions, we came to church. That’s good, right? But James says unless you put legs under what you just read and what you just heard, you’re fooling yourself. Listen to verse 22 from the NIV: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
Pastor David Platt says it like this, “You have not really listened to the Word if you have not obeyed the Word. The bottom line is that the Word evokes action, and if there is no action from the Word, then clearly there has been no acceptance of the Word.”
I’m not sure where I heard this, but I remember a pastor once saying that the problem with many in today’s church is that we’re educated beyond our level of obedience. We’re busy deciphering the deep mysteries of the Bible while failing to love our neighbor. We’re fluent in the language surrounding the end times, and yet we can’t control our sinful anger. We’re busy debating the five points of Calvinism and yet we can’t control our tongues. James says we’re deceived because we’ve mastered some of the mysteries yet haven’t been transformed by the power of the gospel.
So how do we know if we’ve looked intently into the mirror of God’s Word? We’ll immediately respond by being doers of the Word. One of the things we say often at LHC is that God’s Word is not just to INFORM you, it’s to TRANSFORM you. There is life-changing power in the gospel, and one of the evidence of life change (true genuine faith) is a person acting out what has been commanded in Scripture.
We could have easily worded this last point to be HOW TO KNOW IF IT’S WORKING because James is about to give us three real-life examples of what active faith look like.
1. You can control your words – vs 26
We’ll teach on this more deeply in chapter three, but James says in verse 26 that if whatever pops into your mind comes out of your mouth without ever considering how it is going to be received, you lack wisdom. You may be intelligent, but you lack wisdom. Facebook has helped speaking your mind become a badge of honor in society, but James says it’s a huge red flag for spiritual immaturity, because an uncontrolled tongue is evidence of an un-surrendered heart. Have you learned how to control your tongue? If not, James says your religion is “worthless.”
2. You show love to those that can’t love you back – vs 27
This one is super practical and easy to gauge. In verse 27, James says that religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to visit orphans and widows. Sure, we can lump in other oppressed, forgotten, or afflicted groups of people here. But James specifically names them as orphans and widows. People that may not be able to repay your love. Are you compassionate towards orphans and widows? Is your heart regularly moved to help people who are marginalized? In Matthew 25, Jesus says that when we express compassion in tangible ways, it’s as if we are expressing compassion to Jesus himself. James says the litmus test for hearing and doing is expressing genuine compassion to those that don’t always experience mercy and love.
3. You are growing in personal holiness – vs 27
Last week we talked about the excitement of getting as close to the edge of the cliff as possible, when we should be running away (in talking about temptation). But as we take up James’ challenge to Just Do It (to become hearers AND doers of the Word), then we’re going to find ourselves moving further and further away from the edge of the cliff called sin. This is called progressive sanctification. I’m no longer asking, “God how close can I get to the line and still be a Christian?” Instead, I’m waking up every day with the desire to look more and more like Jesus. Holiness is not what YOU do, it’s what you allow GOD to do inside of you. You and I are either growing in holiness or we are simply growing older.
As we wrap up this morning, I want to reflect on that question. Am I growing in holiness, or am I simply growing older? Are you hearing the Word being taught, week after week, only to leave here, forget what you’ve heard, and continue life as normal? Are Sundays just a quick pick-me-up to get your batteries recharged after a hard week? Or is it a time where you gaze intently into the mirror of God’s Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to have free reign in your life? Have you grown in holiness compared to this time last year…this time last month…this time last week?
Here’s our invitation to you this morning. You can’t do this on your own. You can’t muster up enough willpower to do this consistently. Maybe for a few weeks, but not consistently over the long haul. The only way you’ll be able to live a life like this (and not just a season) is the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in your life. And that only comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we then obey Jesus. And part of this is gazing intently upon the Word of God, which will produce a godly desire to live out what we believe and what Jesus has called us to do. Our beliefs will become actions. We will become doers of the Word and not only hearers. That’s my prayer for you and for me today.
