BEING RECEPTIVE TO THE WORD
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on April 24, 2024 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: April 24, 2024 from James 1:19-21
Theme: For God’s word to have its desired effect in us, we must prepare ourselves to receive it.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Stop and think, dear brother or sister, of how many copies of the Bible you have.
Think of how many different translations you own, and how many different study Bibles are at your disposal. Think of how many books about the Bible that you have owned and read. And then, think of how many Bible teachers you have heard on the radio over the years, or watched on television. Think of how many Bible-teaching videos you have seen. Think of how many Bible lessons you’ve listened to on the Internet. And also think of how many sermons you’ve heard at church, and how many Bible study groups you’ve attended in the course of your Christian life. Think of how many Christian camps you might have gone to, or how many Christian conferences you’ve attended. Stop and think of how astonishingly much of God’s word you have heard in your Christian life. It’s wonderful to think of how blessed we are in our land, and how truly rich we are in exposure to the word of truth! Praise God for it!
But now; stop and think of how all of this abundance has impacted your life when you encounter a difficulty, a temptation, or a trial. Does your response to those trials correspond to the rich abundance of God’s word you have received? Or … let’s be honest … do you often respond in some of your trials as if you’ve never heard any of God’s word at all?
That’s an uncomfortable question; isn’t it? Truth be told, we sometimes behave in the difficult trials of life as if all of that abundance hasn’t done us as much good as it should. We seem to suffer the same old problems over and over. We seem to battle the same old sinful habits repeatedly. We seem to react in the same old ’worldly’ ways.
Why is that?
In James 1—in the context of his teaching about trials—Pastor James answered that question for his readers. He let them know that the problem was not with the word of God itself. Rather, the problem was with the hearer. There’s a very crucial difference between “hearing” God’s word and truly “receiving” it. Many of us who have such rich and abundant access to God’s word have not yet learned how to set our hearts properly to “receive” God’s word as we should. And as a result, it can’t have the lasting impact in us that God desires for it to have.
In James 1:19-21, Pastor James writes;
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (James 1:19-21).
In this portion of James’ letter, he tells us that, before we can see God’s word do its intended work in us, we must first properly prepare our hearts to receive it as we should.
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Now; before we look at the details of these three verses, let’s take a moment to consider how they begin.
If you were reading from the King James Version, you’d see that it translates the first few words of verse 19 this way: ”Wherefore, my beloved brethren …” The New King James Version translates it a similar way when it says, ”So then, my beloved brethren …” And in both cases, the beginning of this passage is being translated as if what James is about to say is a consequence of what had preceded it. This is because some ancient texts begin this section with the Greek word hoste (which means ”therefore” or ”consequently”); and the King James Version and the New King James Version both follow that textual tradition. The idea at the beginning of verse 19, then, would be as if what James is about to tell us is a consequence of what he had already said. It’s as if he was introducing what he’s about to say in the rest of the passage.
Other translations, however, are based on a text that has the Greek word iste; which is a form of the word oida (“to know”), along with the strong conjunction de (“but”). That’s how the New American Standard version translates it. It has this passage beginning with the words, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But …” And literally, the form of the word iste that’s found in that particular tradition of the Greek text would be the form of a command; conveying the idea, ”Know this … and that’s a command.” That’s how the English Standard Version translates it. It says, “Know this, my beloved brothers …” The New International Version captures the same idea when it translates the beginning of verse 19 this way: ”My dear brothers, take note of this …” These versions translate the beginning of verse 19 as if it’s a command from James to take to heart what he had just said. It’s as if he was concluding what he just said with a final command before he gets to the rest of this passage.
So which is it? An invitation to listen to the rest of verses 19-21? A command to ’know’ what came before? A good case can be made either way, because our trials certainly relate to our hearing of the word and impact how we’ll be open to what God says. The best textual support, however, argues for iste . . . de. And so, the idea seems to be that James is affirming that his readers already understand what he has said about trials in general, and about God’s relationship to tests in particular (vv. 17-18); but now, we’re to take those truths and apply them to our hearing of God’s word in the midst of those trials.
So then; what does he tell them to do to set their hearts rightly? If you look at those three verses carefully, James gives his readers three things to do—three habits that help us to put God’s word to work in our lives.
He begins by telling them to …
1. GIVE PRIORITY TO “HEARING”.
James wrote, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (vv. 19-20).
This is an exhortation to Christians in general; but particularly to suffering Christians. After all, the original readers of James’ letter were Christians who were suffering severe persecution. They had been driven from their homeland, their families, their businesses, and their church and their pastor. Many had been beaten physically, and some among their number had even suffered the loss of their lives. There may have been a strong temptation to lash out in anger because of the things they were suffering—and perhaps even a temptation to take vengeance. But James warns that man’s anger does not accomplish God’s will. As the apostle Paul once wrote in Romans 12:19-21;
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ’If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).
We all have a strong impulse at times to ’speak our mind’ in an angry way. In fact, it’s something that’s highly valued in our culture. But it’s better to be ’slow’—that is, ’careful’ and ’restrained’—in speaking our mind; and it’s very much better to do so when we feel anger and wrath rising in us. Proverbs 10:19 tells us;
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise (Proverbs 10:19).
And Proverbs 29:22 warns us;
An angry man stirs up strife,
And a furious man abounds in transgression (Proverbs 29:22).
But along with being slow to speak and slow to anger, James urges us to be “quick” to hear. We’re to be far more swift to listen than we are to speak. This is especially true in times of trial or temptation. At such times, the giving of our opinion is not the important thing to do. The important thing is to hear from God. If we would incline our hearts to—above all else—hear what God says to us from the Scriptures, we would be much more holy in the things we speak or the feelings we express in times of trial.
Some have pointed out an important object lesson to be learned from our own anatomy. We need to remember that we have only one mouth, but two ears; and according to that ratio, we ought to be twice as ready to hear from God as we are to speak. Doing so will cut the potential of our wrath in half.
So; one way that we’re to prepare our hearts for the benefit of God’s word is to be in the habit of listening more than we speak—especially when tempted to speak in anger. The next thing James mentions is to …
2. LAY ASIDE THE THINGS THAT “HINDER”.
James goes on to say, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness …” (v. 21a). This reminds us of what Jesus warned about in ’the parable of the soils’:
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
Any good gardener would be careful to prepare the soil by taking things out of the garden in order for it to grow. In fact, in order for things to grow in the garden as they should, a skilled gardener seems to spend more time taking hindrances out of the soil than they spend putting seeds in. Likewise, we must also take things out of our lives that will hinder the growth and impact of God’s word in us.
We can “hear” God’s word a great deal, and yet fail to see the word produce something in our lives; and it’s all because we still cling to the things of the old life that should be taken out. We fail to lay aside all filthiness, and the remaining overflow of wickedness within us. Peter once wrote;
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).
We can also allow the word of God to be hindered by resentment and bitterness—which is perhaps a particular problem for these suffering Christians. In very similar words—also written to persecuted Christians—Peter wrote,
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1-2).
So; a second thing that we need to do, in order for the word of God to have its intended impact in our lives, is to get the sinful attitudes and wicked practices out of our lives that will hinder its work in us. And a third thing that James mentions is to …
3. BECOME CHARACTERIZED BY “HUMILITY”.
James concludes by telling his readers, “… and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (v. 21b). The first necessary quality for experiencing the growth of God’s word in our lives is that we be fertile soil that is ’swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath’; the second involves being unhindered soil that has ’all filthiness and overflow of wickedness’ removed; and the third involves being soft soil. We must receive the word in “meekness” or “humility” in order for the ’implanted’ word to grow in us.
Meekness would express itself in teachability. It would recognize that we don’t have all the answers, and that there’s something we must learn. Humility would also require submission and a readiness to obey. There’s often a tendency in us to evaluate God’s word and decide whether or not we will obey it. Yet, God tells us that He looks to the one who trembles at His word (Isaiah 66:2). We must allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate in us the attitude of a willing and submitted learner when it comes to God’s word. As Jesus once told His disciples;
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-15).
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Dear brothers and sisters; praise God that we are rich in our encounters with the word of God. But let’s not allow any of it to go to waste anymore. Let’s prepare our hearts to receive God’s word to the very best benefit—becoming ready listeners, holy listeners, and humble listeners. And may the Holy Spirit Himself cause the word to grow in us and bear much fruit.
AE
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