Dear Christian listen up!
James 1:19-21
You just sat down to dinner after a long day at work. Looking around, you let out a deep sigh. Man, it’s good to be home. Just as you’re about to take the first bite, the phone rings. Against your better judgment, you pick it up. Of course, it’s some organization asking for money. The day’s stresses had built up, and now they’ve reached their boiling point! You launch into a tirade, yelling at that person for calling you at dinner time. Then you slam the phone down and take a seat at the table again. As you eat, you slowly flip through the day’s mail – and see the Forward in Christ sitting on your table. Sudenly, your conscience bothers you: What have I done? Does that person know I’m a Christian? What if that person is also a Christian? Why did I respond so angrily?
God certainly has some difficult things to say to us. Today, let’s consider what God says to us through the pen of James. James urges us: Dear Christian, listen up! Hear the sound of your Father speaking; hear the sound of your brother hurting.
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” In other words, God wants each of us to show love for each other by listening carefully, weighing our words so that we don’t speak harshly, and by being understanding of each other’s shortcomings. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, maybe not.
We’ve each got to ask ourselves: am I “quick to listen”? If I were writing this as descriptive of how I actually conduct my life, it would probably say “quick to tune other people out.” I’d much rather speak my mind than listen to what someone else wants to tell me. Maybe you act similarly. Your wife wants to talk about the family finances – but instead of listening to what she’s saying, you start thinking – I’ve got some other work to do…I just want to relax, it’s the weekend…I put in all this work for her comfort, and does she ever thank me?
Or perhaps your dad sat you down after supper, wanting to talk with you about your grades at school. Quick to listen? Maybe not. How about “quick to leave the conversation & watch that latest episode of The Office”?
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry…”
Well, being quick to listen is pretty hard – and that’s not all that God demands of us here. There are two more commands that follow soon after: Everyone should be slow to speak; everyone should be slow to become angry.
Even when we know that we aren’t quick to listen, sometimes we think we actually hold our tongues, as God commands. But how easy is that, really? One of your good friends calls you up to tell you about her family problems – just like she called you up last week, and the week before, and the week before. As soon as she says “Hi,” you launch into a litany of reasons why she shouldn’t be calling you, telling her in a couple different ways what, exactly, her problem is.
Or maybe, your alarm didn’t go off this morning. You burned the toast, and now you’re going to be late for work. You rush out the door to your car and start driving – only to get cut off by that other guy…and suddenly, God’s command here sounds impossible. “Everyone should be slow to become angry.” Slow to become angry?!? That guy cut me off!
Perhaps listening or not becoming angry is most difficult when a loved one tries to point out what’s wrong in your heart or life. Maybe someone’s suggested you lose weight, or show more affection to your loved ones. Maybe someone’s asked you to be more understanding, or keep a tighter rein on your alcohol use, or that you should work harder at your school work. And suddenly, we find ourselves doing the exact opposite of what James tells us: we don’t want to listen. We speak out very quickly – and very angrily. The pressure is intense – the pressure to do the exact opposite of what God says here.
And then, after we look at ourselves, we wonder: what is James really talking about here? Why do we need to hear his words – his incisive and sharp words: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” Why do we need to hear this? I don’t want to hear this! God’s words here are like a mirror, shining back in our faces what we already knew, deep down: that we do not want to listen to others; that we are quick to gossip or pass judgment; that, even if no one else sees it, we can get angry at the smallest thing.
And what is the result? We drive a wedge between other believers and us, tearing down and crushing and pulverizing and destroying the fellowship that we Christians have. By nature, I have no tools for unity in my tool belt. My belt is a tool belt of disunity, of destruction and division. My ears shut themselves to the words of my Christian brother or sister – someone who is reaching out to me because he or she is hurting. My tongue is quick to speak, because I’ve bought the lie that I know what’s best – and everyone else needs to listen to me. (THE SAME LIE EVE & ADAM BOUGHT) I quickly lash out in anger, because that’s the way to make things happen – that’s how I change things for the better. Right?
And yet – “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” We get angry when things don’t go our way, or when we think that God has failed us in some way. That anger does not, in any way, bring us closer to God – or to each other.
What are we to do? These two verses from James provide more than enough proof that we are sinners, deserving only of God’s eternal punishment. Our self-centered mindsets quickly condemn us; our selfish listening and angry speaking quickly fracture the fellowship we have with our fellow Christians.
But, dear Christian – listen up! Your Father’s words don’t end there.
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
James encourages us to throw off our sinful anger and selfishness. Rather, we are to accept the word which is planted in us – the word that can save us.
Here’s the key! The word that James just spoke about in verse 21 is the same word he spoke about in verse 18: “[God] chose to give us birth through the word of truth…” God, our heavenly Father, gave us spiritual life through his Word. Through the Gospel, God created faith in our hearts. For many of us, this happened at our baptisms – “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” For others of us, this happened later in life when a Christian told us about Jesus – that Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life: a life in which he listened to others faultlessly; a life in which he spoke with care and compassion to all; a life in which he showed patience and peacefulness, instead of becoming angry at every opportunity. Jesus then took our sins – our failure to listen…our quickness to speak in harsh and unforgiving terms…our quickness to anger – Jesus took all these upon himself, died our death, and was raised to life again.
Now looking around, we remember that God gave us life – God gave us faith – by giving us his word. That makes the Almighty God our Father – the Father of each of us. What does that make us? Brothers and sisters, of course! And so, James encourages us again: Dear Christian, listen up. Hear the voice of your brother, hurting.
Keeping in mind that we’re all one family, we read the words of James with new eyes: “My dear brothers – and the word James uses often includes all who are in God’s family – my dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”
God’s word was planted deep within us, creating within us a new heart. We are no longer controlled by that rotten, selfish, sinful heart. Since God’s word has been planted deep within us, we are now able by that word to do as James says. We don’t need to shudder at these commands James gives us. We have a new heart – just as we have a dear heavenly Father, a loving brother named Jesus, and a large family of brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit continues to work through God’s word to give us the power to live the life which God commands here.
“My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” When we hear these words of James again, our hearts rejoice: God has given us the ability and the desire to do as these words command! We want to listen, because we want to reflect God’s love for us in the way we act toward others. We want to share the pains of our brothers and sisters. We are able to hold our tongues and build up our unity by waiting to speak – because Jesus’ victory has given us the strength to overcome our sinful natures. We become more patient with each other, because we remember that our patient Father has made us his chosen and newly-born children. We don’t tear down our unity with angry replies – because we remember that God’s righteous anger has been covered by Christ.
Alright, but what does that look like in everyday living? Maybe it would mean that the next time your wife wants to discuss the finances, you listen attentively – because that’s a way to express your selfless love for her. She is your fellow believer – and God’s word, planted deeply within your heart of faith, gives you the patience and love to listen to her concerns.
Maybe it would mean listening to your mother or father as they give you last-minute instructions before you dash out the door – God’s word, planted deeply within you, has given you a new set of ears.
Maybe when your friend calls you up AGAIN, you hold your words, weighing them carefully so as to build her up in Christian love.
Perhaps it would involve a short prayer each & every day, praying that God would help you control your quick temper.
Who is it in YOUR life that most needs to find you quicker to listen, slower to speak, and slower to become angry? Who most needs you to model God’s patient grace in how you listen to them and how you speak to them?
Dear Christian, don’t give up. God’s saving word has been planted deeply within your heart – and that word will give you the strength to listen quickly, speak carefully, and become angry slowly. This God-given ability to listen is another tool in God’s tool belt for unity.
Rather, dear Christian, listen up! You have heard the sound of your Father speaking – “I have made you my own through my Son; I have given you life through my word; I have planted that word, deep within your heart of faith.” Now, listen to the sound of your hurting brother, the words of your hurting sister. Our Father tells us to do so – and he has given us the power to do so. Amen.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Amen.