The Faith that Sustains is the Faith that Obeys

As we’ve been looking at in Hebrews in recent weeks, we’re commanded to pay attention to what the Bible says about our God! Every time that we open up our Bibles at home or come to church and study God’s Word together, it matters that we listen well. This is so hard in our world that prides itself on doing a million different things to a C- standard. God doesn’t want us to hear something and it go in one ear and out the other. He wants us to listen well and to apply what we’ve heard. James will continue talking about the importance of genuine faith today and will share with us that true listening is not only cleaning out our ear drums but moving from hearing to accepting, obeying, and doing what His Word says.

Our study guide begins this week with a statement that, “Christianity is not just about believing certain things or claiming to have faith; it is having your life transformed by the gospel… The word must be put into action.” What are your thoughts about this statement? What about Christianity stands out from other major religions and worldviews? So many want their adherents to live a better life or do a certain thing… But Christianity starts with our heart and Christ demands complete devotion. A completely transformed life, not just 1 hour a week or 10% here or there as we’ll talk about this morning from Colossians 3.

Genuine Faith Requires Us to Listen (19-21)

This passage of Scripture naturally divides into 2 parts with the final 2 verses diving deeper into the second part. James opens up in verses 19-21 with a simple statement that is much easier to say than to practice, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”

What is hard about this statement?

We naturally do the opposite!

We’re slow to listen, quick to react, and immediately get angry when something doesn’t go our way!

Why is this the case?

See James 1:14

James 1:14 CSB

14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.

It’s almost as though James knows what he’s talking about here because he too had this desire to do the opposite of what God wants us to do.

Where do you most frequently see people doing the opposite of James 1:19?

Social Media!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen something happen and instead of someone asking a question, they assume the worst and immediately speak with anger. We have keyboard warriors everywhere in our world it seems!

I’ve said this to people and I genuinely mean it: There are few problems that a lunch at Arandas can’t solve. Seriously! If you have a problem, don’t we usually do better when it comes to solving it whenever we gather with the other person and have a normal conversation instead of exchanging nuclear subtweets back and forth? That doesn’t accomplish anything - yet it’s the norm in our culture. We’re quick to speak and slow to listen and everyone is angry!

What stands out to you about the way that James delivers this to his audience in verses 19-20?

He again starts out with his love for these people

He shares that everyone should do these things - this helps soften what is about to come!

Human anger doesn’t accomplish God’s righteousness.

We can’t justify our desire to go and rudely smash tables all the time and say that God told us to do it. If you count the number of times that Jesus flipped tables with the amount of times that He washed feet, you’re reminded of James 1:19. We want to go straight and flip tables, though. This isn’t what we’re called to do. We’re called to be patient. To listen. To be slow to speak and be angry.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t times to get angry or disagree - there are and we have to be careful about how we handle those things. We follow Matthew 18 and we go in private - usually not a public platform like Falsebook - and we talk and we listen.

What is the good news in James 1:21?

God’s Word is implanted. Where is it implanted? Jeremiah 31 talks about this wonderful truth as we studied during our Wednesday night Bible study that God has written His law on our hearts

Jeremiah 31:33 CSB

33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Ezekiel 36:26 CSB

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

This is good news! Through the Holy Spirit - remember James is talking to His brothers and sisters in Christ here - God’s Word is implanted in our hearts and God’s Word alone will save our souls! What must we do? We must listen to His Word.

David Platt put it like this, “Like the blood that flows to our hearts, we need God’s Word.” What prevents us from receiving God’s implanted Word?

Lack of humility

Lack of urgency

Lack of understanding

This requires us to listen!

Takes 1000 times to make something a habit - it’ll take a while to make Bible intake a habit but it is one of the most important habits that we can make.

Romans 10:17 CSB

17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

We must hear the Word and this requires us to listen. The good news from Romans 1 is that God has made His existence known to all of humanity. General Revelation makes us responsible but General Revelation is not sufficient to save. Sitting through sermons, going on mission trips, hearing Gospel presentations do not save! This is James’ point in this letter and he arrives at it in sentence form in verse 22. Could someone read chapter 1:22-27?

James 1:22–27 CSB

22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. 25 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. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Genuine Faith Requires Us to Act (22-27)

Our study guide shares that James 1:22 serves as an overall topic verse for the entire book. The point of Christianity is not simply to hear the Word but to actually do what the Word says! What are some extreme positions that you’ve heard people make based on James’ teaching about faith and works?

God only cares about my actions and not my thoughts

Church doesn’t matter - I just need to be a good person

Bible study and doctrine are irrelevant, I just need to do what feels right

I’ve heard lots of other extreme positions based from the book of James but they almost always overemphasize personal actions to the point that actions are the saving factor in the life of a human. Works matter but works do not save. Genuine faith in Jesus results in works of righteousness for Jesus.

There are other at the opposite end of the spectrum, though, who think that they can be saved simply by church attendance and 1 hour a week. James says that the person who only hears the Word deceives himself - what is the deception with only hearing the Word and not doing it?

We fail to do what Jesus commands in places like Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14–16 CSB

14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

James says that if you are just a hearer of the Word, you are like someone who looks in a mirror and forgets what you see. Have you ever been there? You just look at something and 10 seconds later you forget what you saw! We laugh when it happens to someone else but we’ve all been that person before! After having a toddler, mirrors have turned into a must have! You think that you’re ready for the day only to discover that you have a blob of ketchup or your collar is half up and half down. What do mirrors allow us to do?

See how we look and make changes as needed

We might like what we see, we might not like what we see

Without the mirror we’d be in trouble because we wouldn’t see the trouble that we’re in

This is how it is with God’s Word. It serves as a mirror of sorts that we can use to evaluate ourselves and where we stand. You see a problem and you address the problem. A fool would look into the mirror and do nothing to solve the problem! You get nothing done. There was no point in looking into the mirror in the first place!

How can God’s Word act as a mirror in our lives?

See Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12 CSB

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It shows us our sinfulness and God’s holiness

We don’t just read it, it reads us! It shows us who we really are!

This is why we need the Word. We need it to guide us! We need it to help us as we strive to obey it. You can’t obey what you don’t know! You can’t fix what you don’t think needs fixing. We need God’s Word!

Again, see theme of perseverance in verse 25 as James already talked about earlier in chapter 1. This is the theme of this book. Right belief in Jesus leads to right living for Jesus. Studying the Bible should lead to living the way that the Bible describes and prescribes for us to live. What are some genuine obstacles to persevering and applying God’s Word faithfully?

Final section of this passage focuses on the tongue and what true religion looks like.

Have you ever heard someone say that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship? What are these people trying to say? What is potentially dangerous about this statement?

James says here that Christianity is a religion and anyone with a brain would tell you that it is. Religion is “a set of beliefs, worship, or code of behavior.” Christianity is a religion based on a relationship founded on the amazing and unstoppable love of God for His sinful children. It’s both - James shares that it’s a religion but the relationship must impact ourselves and others - especially those in need.

According to James, can you claim to love God and follow Him and not help those in need?

No!

Overview of caring for those with needs in ancient world. No government system in place. Little charity on the part of Romans (no tax write offs). This left much of the responsibility to care for others in the hands of family members - but widows and orphans who had no family slipped through the cracks and often died quickly. Christians were wellknown in the 1st-3rd centuries as people who genuinely cared for others who had no where else to turn. Christians over the years were the first to establish orphanages, food kitchens, and adoption agencies and much of this is due to this command in James 1:27. No one else would think about doing it - so Christians stepped up. This was the legacy of the early church. Thinking big picture, do you think this (helping those in need) is still a legacy of Christian churches today?

I think so, but many don’t think that way because of the select churches who ask for money to line the pastor’s wallet

Our study guide concludes this week with a reminder of our salvation and how salvation in the New Testament is talked about in all 3 tenses: Past, Present, and Future. Justification (I’ve been saved), Sanctification (I’m being saved), and Glorification (I will be saved). Which one do we focus on the most / least?

Most - Justification

Least - Glorification

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