This is Connect with Skip Heidzig. Thanks for joining us for today's program. At Connect with Skip, we're all about helping you connect with God's Word in a deeper way. That's why we make messages like Today's available to you and others across the globe. And right now, when you sign up for Skip's weekly devotional emails, you'll receive a free download of Chapter 1 from Skip's book, The Biography of God.
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Now let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The truth is It is the Word of God that gave us birth. It is what gave us life. And though there are many evidences for the Bible, I would say you are exhibit A. Your changed life.
You can always pull that out when people say, Well, show me an evidence of the Bible.
Well, I'm one. If you knew me before, you would say, yep, whatever you're into works. You've been changed.
So it produces spiritual birth. That's the first benefit of the word. It produces spiritual birth. Second benefit. It provides spiritual truth.
Now look at verse 19.
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. of God.
Now, these two verses are some of the best examples of verses that are taken out of context by people. I've heard this quoted on a number of times, completely out of context, sort of as isolated verse of scripture, basically interpreted by people saying, you know, shut up and listen up. That's kind of what this means, but that is not the context here. Notice how verse 19 begins. What are the first two words in it?
So then So then, it's sort of like therefore, right?
So then. He's pointing backwards to what he has just written about. And what has he just written about? He has just written about the word of truth.
So when he says, be swift to hear, Swift to hear what? The word of truth. Be slow to speak against what? The word of truth. Be slow to get angry at what?
The word of truth. This is James telling us. Here's your response. To God's word. This is our response to God's word.
Be swift to hear, be slow to speak, be slow to wrath.
Now let's go through those. Let every man be swift to hear. Literally be swift. to the hearing. We might say, be swift to the sermon.
Be swift to the exposition of the Bible of Scripture. That is, be a careful listener whenever the Bible is taught. Pay careful attention so that you get the message right. A couple of weeks ago, after a Saturday night service here, a couple women came up to me afterwards and thanked me for the message. And they said, I have to go home and listen to that all over again.
And I said, well, why is that? She goes, well, there was a gal in front of us on her phone the whole night shopping.
So I couldn't pay attention because I'm watching her on her phone shopping during the whole service.
So that is not being swift to hear. The hearing ear becomes the conveyor of truth to the believing heart. You have to have a believing heart first. If you have a believing heart, It would only follow that you would want to be swift to hear truth. Jesus said, He that has an ear, let him hear.
In any field of knowledge, we learn by listening. You go to school, you sit in a classroom, you listen to the professor, give you lectures, you take the test to see if you were really. paying attention. Any field of knowledge requires that you listen. Yes, there's a time for asking questions, but only after you have intently listened to the information.
And the better the teacher is, the more that teacher will try to address questions so you don't have so many.
So be swift to hear.
Now I can think of a few examples of This, the best in my view, is a group called the Bereans. The Bereans, that was a place that Paul visited after Thessalonica. He went to the town of Berea. And in Acts chapter 17, verse 11, it says, Those in Berea were Were more noble or fair-minded than those in Thessalonica. because they received the word with all readiness.
Readiness means eagerness. They were eager to receive it. They had enthusiasm when the Bible was taught. There was a fervor, they were swift to the sermon. That's a mature Christian.
A mature Christian is quick to find Resources from the Bible for life. When he is blessed, he looks for passages of thanksgiving and praise. When he is troubled, he looks for words of comfort and strength. When confused, he looks for passages that give guidance and wisdom. When he is tempted, he searches for truths on purity and the power to resist temptation.
That is what it means to be swift to hear. Another example isn't a church, but a person. A woman named Mary. who, while Martha her sister was busy being cumbered about with much serving, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to his word. And when Martha said, Tell her to get up and help me, Jesus said, your sister has chosen the better part.
Not that it's wrong to serve, but it's better to be swift. to hear. What As good as This is, and as much as we might agree with James, We have a problem. We live in a culture that has produced poor listeners. We live in a culture, we live in a world where we have a media that has.
uh served to trim down our attention spans. Did you know that? Did you know that the human attention span is far less today than it ever was? A study was done, several actually, but one that I'm quoting from, that said the average attention span has decreased over the past two decades from 2.5 minutes. to 45 seconds.
That is a sixty-six percent decrease. In attention span.
So we're up against a monumental impediment. People don't listen like they used to. And why is that?
Well, there's a number of things that would add to that. Articles, written articles, are much shorter than they used to be. Articles used to be written with far more information and require far more time to read. But now, articles are shorter. In fact, many articles will tell you when you start how long it will take you to read them.
And then you can decide: do I even want to bother? It's over a minute. That's one problem. The other problem is multiple devices.
Some people will hold up a phone while they're watching a show on television. That's how distracted we have become. We have to be on two separate screens. We can't take our eyes off of it. Then there's social media, which offers us an endless stream of short clips.
Short clips. What all that means is simply this: the written word and the spoken word is very rare. Very rare. And rarer still are those who will slow down enough to. Listen to it.
But it can happen. I've always loved the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after Jesus appeared to them, and they said to one another, Did not our hearts burn within us while he spoke to us? That can happen. It still happens today. But only if we Choose to make that happen.
We have to be swift to hear. And so, from time to time, it's good for you and I to take inventory of our spiritual appetite. How hungry are you for the Word of God? I mean, really, only you can answer that. Jesus said, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Not blessed are those who casually snack in righteousness, but hunger and thirst. Are you swift to hear? Then he says, not only swift to hear, but slow to speak. Slow to speak. This second trait is a companion to the first trait because.
You can't listen very well if you're talking. Right? Or, if you're always thinking when somebody else is talking, what you're going to say as soon as they put a period on it. Oh, I've got something to say, and you're thinking about that, and you're ready to launch it, but you haven't really listened to it. That's the reason many conversations become fruitless.
People are talking over each other.
Now Here's a question. Why does James feel it even necessary to say this? Why would he need to say, regarding the Word of God, yeah, you should listen carefully and be quick to do that, but you should be slow to speak? And here's the reason. Ancient congregations were much smaller.
They were unstructured. And because of the Greek paradigm of teaching, The students would often interrupt the teacher, like right in the middle of the message. I disagree with that.
Well, what about this? And just launch with a diatribe or an argument right in the middle of the sermon. And so abuse was common. Because these interruptions would happen during Church services.
So He's addressing a group of people. who were slow to hear and quick to speak. He says, okay, now reverse that. Be slow to speak and swift to hear. Otherwise, you'll hinder the ministry of the word.
And judging from this and other passages in the book of James. It seems that James is dealing with a group of people who would speak whatever was on their mind at any given time. Let me just show you a couple of those verses. Go down to verse 26. In chapter one, where he says, If any one among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, But deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.
You're listening to Connect with Skip Heidzig. Before we return to today's message, what does real spiritual maturity actually look like and how can you achieve it? In his new series, Adulting, A Study Through the Book of James, Pastor Skip gives straight talk from scripture on how to grow up in your faith through trials, temptations, and daily life. This eye-opening 21 message series is our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to help reach more people with God's Word through Connect with Skip. Request your CD package or digital download of adulting when you give at connectwithskip.com/slash offer or call 800-922-1888.
Now, let's get back to today's teaching from Pastor Skip. In chapter 3, verse 1. He has an extensive section on the tongue there. But look at these couple of verses. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers.
Knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment, for we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man. also able or able also to bridle the whole body. Evidently, he had to write that because this abuse of interruption and being quick to speak when the preacher, when the teacher was giving his exposition of Scripture was very, very common. There was a Stoic philosopher Zeno who said, We have two ears and one mouth.
Therefore, we should listen as twice as much as we speak. I like what the Jewish rabbis said even better than that. They said, Men have two ears but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak. Their ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction, but The tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth. To hedge it in.
to keep it within its proper bounds. In other words, the rabbis would say, Keep it in the cage. Keep it under lockdown. A closed mouth gathers no feet. You've heard that before.
Or you've heard this, it's better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and disclose all doubt.
So be quick to listen, slow to speak. Because you want to receive all the instruction that you can.
Now, let me just add a little footnote to this. This is the danger that I see many times with new converts. As soon as somebody gets saved, especially if they're a celebrity, we want to put them on a stage in a pulpit and have them give their testimony and give us what they think about some Christian doctrine. Not a good idea. It's not a good idea because the Bible says not being a novice.
When you get up to speak, don't let a novice do it. Not being a novice, lest he fall under this, being lifted up with pride, he falls under the same condemnation as the devil.
So We are to be then in regards to the Word of God Swift to hear. Slow to speak. And then get this, slow to wrath. or slow to get angry.
Now, you might say, well, I don't quite understand that. Interesting, the word that he chose here. Is not the typical word for anger, thumas, which is to kind of like let your temper flare or an outburst of anger. That's not the word he uses. But he uses the word orge, which is a stored up.
built up Pent up anger. It is a simmering rebellion over time, a hostility that arises but is kept for a long period of time. And what it refers to is the fact that some people are hostile to the Word of God as it is preached. They don't want to hear it. They don't want to hear it because it confronts their sin.
It confronts some cherished belief that they have. And so there is a built-up resentment against the preacher over a long period of time. You may recall when Paul wrote to the Galatians, he said, Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? See, that was happening. They're building up resentment because these Judaizers came in and influenced what Paul had taught them.
And they're storing up anger. Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Well, I've always thought that telling people the truth is one of the most loving things you could ever do. It is. But some people will stop their ears. They'll have a resistance to spiritual truth. If he talks about this subject again, I'm.
See, there's anger. There's anger. And that kind of resistance to spiritual truth will not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
So We have a response to spiritual truth. The Bible provides spiritual truth, but we are to be quick to hear it. slow to speak against it. and slow to get mad because of it.
Some of you perhaps are not growing spiritually because whenever the Word of God is preached, especially in certain subjects, barriers go up. Barriers go up. Immediately, you rationalize it, or you marginalize it, or you get angry every time you hear a sermon that runs counter to some desire that you have. And as long as you live that way, you will never have a life that is right. You will never have a life that is right.
That's what it means by the wrath of man, verse 20, does not produce the righteousness of God.
So we have two benefits so far. Of the Word of God. Two powerful accomplishments. It produces spiritual birth, it provides spiritual truth. Third, it promotes spiritual growth.
Verse 21, therefore, there's another therefore. Or so them. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. and receive With meekness. You know what that means?
Humility. Humility. Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your Now the metaphor here is Agricultural, it's planting a garden. And there's a two-fold thought you'll notice in verse 21. to renounce something in order to receive something.
You get that? We're to renounce certain things in order to receive other things. Before God's word can produce a righteous life, we have to put away unrighteousness. Things Um obstacles. The Bible sometimes refers to this as putting off and putting on.
Put off the old man, put on the new man. Like Colossians 3: put off all of these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. Get rid of some things.
so that you can receive other things. 1 Peter chapter 2, very similar. 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.
So, back to our text. Lay aside Filthiness and overflow of wickedness. Think of weeds growing in your garden. and choking out the word. Interesting, the word filthiness.
comes from a word whose root word refers to earwax.
So the implication might be get rid of anything in your life that hinders you from really hearing. The Word of God. certain behaviors, certain practices, certain addictions. You know, the needle keeps going back in the same groove, same groove, same groove. Get rid of some of those things.
Get rid of the earwax. And receive with meekness the implanted word. James again pictures the heart like a garden. And I guess he would be saying, then, pull out these weeds. Get rid of those weeds.
It's a metaphor of planting truth in the heart, very similar to James' older half-brother, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave a beautiful parable about a sower who went out to sow seed. Remember that, Matthew 13?
Some of the seed fell on hardened ground and it never really grew anything, and other seed fell on ground that had rocks in it and it grew for a while and then it burnt out because of the sun. These are people who have a very shallow commitment and they last when times are good and they burn out. Other people, he said, are like the seed that falls onto a soil, but the weeds choke it out. And it becomes unfruitful. But then there's the seed that falls on good ground that brings forth fruit: some 30, some 60, some 100fold.
So the word of God is likened unto seed that falls upon the soil of the human heart.
So we need to pull up the weeds of sin that choke out the seeds of truth. Pull out the weeds of sin that choke out. The seeds of truth.
So then, To sum up these verses as we close, these are marks of adulting. This is spiritual maturity. If you are a mature Christian, You are saved by the word of truth. If you've been saved by the word of truth, you're going to have a love for that truth because it is the truth that saves you, and the truth that saves you is the same truth that sanctifies you. The same truth that sanctifies you will be the same truth that satisfies you.
In fact, if you're saved, you won't be satisfied with anything else. And you will take every opportunity to hear it. And when you hear it, you won't want to argue with it. You won't want to store up anger against it. You'll want to meekly receive it into the soil of your heart.
And you'll want to get rid of things in your life that make you deaf. to the precepts of Scripture. I just summed up all these verses. That way. I heard about a man who uh was Taking a walk.
And he glanced over to see a garden. It was about this time of the year, and he noticed, first of all, a butterfly flew into the garden and alighted upon one flower, then another flower, then another, then another. It was a beautiful sight to see as the butterfly bounced. From flour to flour. but received absolutely no benefit from those flowers.
Next, as he was looking in the garden, a botanist came by with a notebook in hand, glasses. A pencil. And he studied and he looked and he took copious notes. He took out his magnifying glass and he wrote notes for several minutes. Finally, as the man watched, A bee came by.
And sunk deep down into the flower to extract all of the pollen it could carry, and then it was off. And then again. And then again, and then again.
Now Which one are you? Butterfly bounced from here to there, concert event. This Bible study, that speaker. Are you the scholar who takes copious notes but doesn't really change the life? Are you like the bee that takes the pollen, the nourishment, the depth?
You put away those things that are the overflow of wickedness, the filthiness, the earwax. And you are swift. to the sermon, swift to the exposition. You are quick to hear. That is the power Of the word.
It produces spiritual birth. It provides spiritual truth.
And it promotes spiritual growth. Anybody who's been changed by the word of truth. Anyone. will love it. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Before you go, don't forget to request this month's featured resource, Adulting, a study through the book of James, Pastor Skip's 21 Message Series that gives you straight talk from Scripture about how to grow in spiritual maturity and live out your faith in the real world. Adulting is our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to help share God's Word with more people. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. And while you're there, sign up for Skip's weekly devotional emails and get a free download of a chapter of Skip's The Biography of God. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heidzig.
Make a connection, never fool. Of the crossing castle. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
