2024-09-22 - San Jose CRC - sermon only - Gil Suh

James 1:19-24, Isaiah 50:4, 5

Transcript

We have two scripture passages today. First one is from James chapter 1 verses 19 through 27. That can be found on page 977 in your pew bibles. And Isaiah chapter 50 verses 4 and 5 that can be found on page 598 in your pew bibles or you can follow along on the screen as I read. James 1, 19 through 27.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 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.Amen.

Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world

Now Isaiah chapter 50: The sovereign Lord has given me a well instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary He awakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen, like one being instructed, the sovereign Lord has opened my ears.I have not been rebellious. I have not turned away.

This is the word of the Lord.

So there's a lot about speaking and listening; which is harder, speaking or listening?

Maybe some of you say, “Oh, depending on what speaking means. If speaking means just talk to one another, no problem. But, standing in front of people and public speaking? No.” But in general, listening is harder. Listening is much more difficult than speaking. You know why? Because when you speak, usually, it's about you or it's kind of mostly about self centered sort of things that you verbalize often.

But when you listen, it's more of that the other person focus. Because if you speak, speak, speak, speak, you cannot listen. You have to be quiet and then listen. So that's against our nature. Because our nature is more about me and my need than the other person. So listening is in one way is much more difficult.

In today's passage, James discusses the issue of speaking and listening from the beginning to the end. To sum up his message, Speak wisely and listen well. But it is hard. Do we listen, really, to God's Word?

So now, before I continue, I have to say this. The passage has a lot of do, do, do, don't, don't, don't. Actually, throughout the book of James, there are a lot of do, do, do, and don't, don't, don't. Actually, If we're not careful, we can read this book, this passage, as some kind of rule book. Do this, and don't do that.

It seems like he has a tone of this moral teaching, making us feel kind of guilty when we don't. But let us remember that it's all part of what it means to practice living faith. in our daily life as God's children. So instead of this rule book do's and don'ts, it is more like a family conversation at a kitchen table.

So our Heavenly Father or our older brother and sister are talking to us. That's why it started. Dear my brothers and sisters, take note of this. Get this. Know this. Listen very carefully. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. This is one of the proverbs, the wisdom saying, general truth.

Although it's very hard to listen well, we must. It's very hard not to speak quickly when we are frustrated or angry. We have to be slow to speak and slow to anger. We kind of already know what James is talking about. We also have experience speaking words out of anger that we regret later.

Ah, I shouldn't have said that. In the heat of the moment, we speak harsh and mean words, and that makes us even angrier. When we are triggered, when somebody says something or does something like that, we can feel that anger coming out. If we open our mouth, that anger will come out.

They will make it even more angry. But if we are able to somehow shut our mouth and then keep it down, we may pass that moment of the heat. So see this cycle when there's a little bit of anger, we say words. Get more angry, and it will then trigger other person get angry. You know, you know what I mean. It's kind of go up and up and up. I'm sure we all have that experience. So uncontrolled anger leads to uncontrolled speech and vice versa. And it happens so easily between husband and wife, parents and children, and close friends and co workers. And also in this contentious political climate, how often people become so angry, making arguments and saying nasty words without really listening to each other.

They're passing each other, both in person and even online. That's why I think many of us learned the lesson, let's not get into it. Because there's no point. It's not listening to each other. It's passing each other. So here, some of you may say, like, “Oh, I'm not like that.” But here, it says everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger.

Everyone, without exception. All parties involved, regardless of status. Leaders and followers and teachers and students, whether you're educated or not, this applies to all. Because we all have that tendency. And then when we really listen to each other, powerful things can happen. Good things can happen.

When we do not listen to each other and pass each other, things fall apart. Relationships fall apart. But when we really listen to each other, it builds up understanding, respect, unity, trust, peace. So listening well in general is important and helpful, helpful. That's the first point. But now, James is leading us to the next point, which is really, really what he wants to say. So he's saying, Hey, brothers and sisters, listening well is important. You agree? Yeah. Now, how about then listening to God?

Do we listen to God well? And how do we know? Well, we may think that listening to God, okay, what does it mean to listen to God? Oh, read the Bible, and listen to sermon or messages. That's part of it, for sure. Even though that is not easy. You know, how really do we well read the Bible often, or listen to, you know, sermon or message really intently and well.

That's not easy. But that's part of it. But James explains, true listening is more than that. If we merely listen without doing anything about what we listen, that's not true. True listening. You know what, we know that through our experience too. Just imagine a mother asks teenager to clean the room. Hey, look, look at your room.

Please, can you, can you clean it? Yes, mom. He agree, he said it. But then later on, no cleaning. I told you to clean up. You said yes. What does that teenager say? Oh, I forgot. Now, did he really listen then? Yeah, he heard mom's words and agreed, but he didn't do what the words said and he agreed. Then he didn't really truly listen, did he?

There are many examples, right?

And James compares that to Someone looking at himself in a mirror and later forgets what he saw. This sentence can become puzzling. What does it mean that you saw yourself in the mirror and forget? I think it would be helpful to understand this was written 2, 000 years ago. At that time, they did not have mirror like what we have.

At that time, the mirror is made of glass. polished bronze or copper. So for, for people at that time to look at the mirror, they have to look at very closely because it's not clear. So you have to look at it very intently in order to see what you want to see. So imagine somebody looking at the mirror very closely and intently to look at And then now, oh, fine, okay, my hair is kind of messy.

Oh, okay, there's some kind of smudge on my face. And imagine, okay, and then you just don't do anything about it. And you just go away.

James is talking about this as if it doesn't make sense. But then why are you bothered to look at intently and closely and you don't do anything about it? See, it doesn't make sense. in the same way. If you really truly listen to God and saying, oh yeah, you know, I listen to God, but you don't do anything about what you listen.

That's not true. Listening is it? That's the point James is trying to make.

So if we claim to listen to God's word but don't respond or don't think about and do what it says. You know what James said? It's deceiving yourselves. What do you mean deceiving myself? Because we are thinking maybe we listen. But if we truly listen, we will respond to what he says. We cannot separate listening and responding.

That's why in the Bible, the term listening is translated often as obeying. As if listening leads seamlessly to obedience. The Bible does not know the difference between listen and obey. True listening to God has actually a lot of benefits. When God tells us what to do and what not to do, it's actually good for us, it's for our benefit.

The True listening to God's Word should bring about freedom and blessing. James says in verse 25. Try to see if I can pull that out.

Twenty five.

Okay, I'll just read. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed. in what they do. There's blessing. And true listening to God's word brings about a lifestyle of obedience to the God's word.

And there James introduced at least three manifestation of obedience, you know, controlling our tongue and concern for the helpless orphans and widows in distress and avoidance of worldliness. life of integrity and holiness. In other words, when we truly listen to God and then really God's word speak to us in such a way that we, we respond to that.

And it becomes more and more of that kind of habit instead of just here and then just let it pass. Then these are the things that will manifest itself in our life. So these key ideas, I'm not going to talk about this because Now, James is going to talk about these things the rest of the chapter later.

But now here, I have to tell you this, though. Listening well, although we know it's important, we know there's a benefit, but it is difficult because of our sinful nature and self centeredness. We tend not to listen well, but to speak hastily and become angry. And the outcome is not so good. That's why today's passage and actually throughout the scripture, the Proverbs exhort us to be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.

But it's hard. We agree. We know that's wise and true, but we still don't practice and we continue struggle in the area of controlling our tongue and temper. And it's easier to blame other people. You made me angry, so that's why I say this. Instead of controlling ourselves. It's hard to listen well to each other in general.

In general, all the more difficult to listen well to God's word and put it into practice. It feels almost impossible to listen and obey. If you're really serious about God's Word and put it into practice, you know what I'm talking about, how hard it is to really, that's why we know one way we don't want to listen really well, because we know that that means I have to practice.

And how hard it is to practice God's Word in our life. It's against our nature. You know what? Actually, it's impossible to listen and obey God's Word on our own.

Ultimately, faith and obedience are the gift of God. In other words, unless God gives us, we cannot manufacture or produce on our own. It's a part of His salvation for us that He gives faith and obedience, ability. to be able to really listen so that there is no difference between listen and obedience. We can believe and obey God's Word only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ability to control our speech and temper is the fruit of the Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit who empower us, give us ability to listen well and obey God's Word. And our part then is to desire and seek the gift and embrace it when it's given. That's the, this dynamic reality of our faith.

So a lot of things that we talked about, although God says do this, we know that we cannot do it on our own. God, unless you give that ability, I cannot do. But yet it doesn't mean that we are just passive recipients. Just wait until things happen. No, we are to seek and you, you'll find, you, we are to ask, you be given.

You are, you are to knock and the door will be open to you. So we, we desire these gifts and seek and you'll be given to us. Then when we're given to us, we receive it and we, we then we just follow. So may our heart's desire and confession then be the same as the prophet Isaiah. That's why I introduced this prophet Isaiah, because this is the con, what will encourage us.

Prophet Isaiah.

Trying to, uh,

prophet Isaiah, I want to read one more time.

The sovereign Lord has given me See, that language of give, giving me a well instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He awakens me morning by morning, awakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The sovereign Lord has opened my ears. I have not been rebellious. I have not turned away.

I pray that this will be our confession and our desire as we listen to this word today. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we ask for the grace to truly listen to your word. Put it into practice by your power. Do not leave us alone, Lord, because we know that we can't on our own. But you are inviting us and calling us to seek and desire that gift. And you promise to give us generously if we really ask. May we not only hear your truth, but also obey it, knowing that true listening brings blessing and freedom.

Empower us through the Holy Spirit to control our tongues, care for others, and avoid worldly distractions. Amen. Amen. We trust in you to guide us, and we seek to follow you with open hearts and willing spirit. In Jesus name we pray.