James 1:17-27
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 13, 2009

James 1:17-27 (New International Version)

¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, 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.

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion 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.

If you had to describe what a religious person is like, what would you say? When we say that a person is religious, we usually mean positive things like “a person who prays a lot, studies the Bible a lot, or goes to church regularly.” Or we might say that a religious person is one who tries to live differently than the sinful world around himself or herself. Sometimes we use that phrase in a negative way. When people are said to be “religious,” sometimes we mean that person acts like they’re “holier” than others. Calling someone “religious” can mean different things to different people.

Today, through this portion of James’ epistle, we are going to hear God define what he means and what he wants when it comes to people being religious. As we hear God’s definition of what it means to be religious, let us be encouraged to PRACTICE GOD’S KIND OF RELIGION!

I. Be quick to listen,

II. Be slow to speak, and

III. Be eager to act

One of the things that create difficulties between people is that they don’t listen to each other. It is interesting that God gave us two ears with which to listen, but only one tongue to speak. Yet, we so often want to do all the talking rather than any listening. When people don’t listen to each other that can lead to misunderstandings, misunderstandings can lead to anger, and anger leads to sinful actions. Think of the hurt and sin that we could avoid in our marriage, family, at work, and at church if we would just be more willing to listen.

Lack of listening doesn’t just create problems in our relationship with others lack of listening creates problems in our relationship to God. God gave us his Word and he wants to listen to it. For through it God reveals the unattainable holiness he demands of us in the Law and the amazing gift of salvation he freely gives through the gospel! It’s through the Word alone that God saves us. That’s why God says that the religion that is acceptable to him is being quick to listen. Let’s listen to that then. “19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, 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.22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.”

Rarely do we talk about having quick ears. Usually we associate quickness with our hands or feet.

But here James tells us that when it comes to our ears we should be quick to listen. What does that mean? Think of it, first of all, in terms of God’s Word. When it comes to hearing the Word at church or Bible class or even at home for a devotion how often are we guilty of dragging our feet. Being quick to listen is having the spirit of the psalmist who said, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord,’” or that of Luther who wrote, “We should regard God’s Word as holy and gladly hear and learn it!” Or think of when we wrestle with questions about doctrine or practice. It seems that we’re so quick to offer our opinion and to want to do our own thing, rather than first going to the Bible and listening to what God has to say and obeying what he wants! All too often we are guilty of being slow in our listening.

So it is my prayer that when it comes to listening to God’s Word we all practice the kind of religion that God accepts. Let’s be quick to listen, especially, when we fall into sin! Through God’s Word we hear the most important thing we could ever hear--our sins are forgiven! That’s the thing we need to hear the most.

II. Think of the added blessing. When we are quick to listen to God’s Word we will find that we will want to do more listening to each other. When we are listening more to God and to each other then the next thing that James mentions about the religion that God accepts follows. We will be slow to speak. “26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

What would you say is the Commandment that is most often broken? Certainly one could argue the First Commandment because whenever we violate any of the other nine Commandments, the First is broken automatically. But one could certainly make the argument that the Commandment we break most often is the Eighth Commandment “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This commandment was given by God to protect our good name and the good name of our neighbor. But what do we so often find? So often we find people talking bad about one another. And think of where that happens! It happens in the three most important places in our lives. Think of the sinful gossip that happens within our families, at our workplace, and at church. What a terrible thing gossip is! Concerning it God tells us plainly here, ‘If anyone considers himself religious but does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, his religion is worthless.”

Later in this same letter James elaborates more fully on how inconsistent it is when a person claims to be a good Christian and uses the tongue for evil purposes. “All kinds of animals, birds, and reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!”

When we don’t keep a tight reign on our tongue, what should we do? Be quick to listen to God’s Word in which he condemns that sin, and then listen to the Word again about how Jesus held his tongue to win our redemption. When he stood before his accusers while on trial what did Jesus do? He held his tongue. Why? He fulfilled God’s promise through Isaiah that “Like a sheep is silent before his shearers, so the Lord did open his mouth?” Why did Jesus remain silent? To fulfill this prophecy, to win our salvation. And then he went to the cross to suffer the punishment that we deserve for our sin of gossiping, he did that so that we could hear from his blessed lips, “Father, forgive them.” The only time we should be quick to speak is in praising God! That should flow freely and often from our lips. The rest of the time there should be a tight rein on it.

III, Having been refreshed in the good news that God forgives us for all our sins, including the sin of not keeping a tight reign on our tongue, then we will want to practice the religion that is pleasing to God. We will strive to be quick to listen to God’s Word and slow to speak against our neighbor. And then, we will also be eager to do good, especially for those in need.

“27Religion 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.”

Recall that in the church at Jerusalem where James was the leader, there were widows and orphans in need! Why? It’s possible that some were in need because their husbands or dads may have been put to death for believing in Jesus. In fact, history tells us that shortly after this letter was written James himself was put to death. We also know that there had been a famine in that part of the world and people all over Jerusalem were in need. So, just as John had done in his epistles, James is basically saying this: If someone says he loves God but doesn’t help those in need, he is a liar and his religion is false.” When Christians help those in need, that is a God-pleasing demonstration of faith in Jesus.

Likewise both James and John tell us that if we say we love God, yet live like the rest of the sinful world, then we are lying to ourselves too! Religion that is pleasing to God is putting one’s faith in Jesus into practice being quick to listen, slow to speak and eager to do good!

How religious have you been? I pray that you have been very religious! But I know from my own experience that’s something we cannot do perfectly. More times than not we fail, and for this we deserve God’s anger and his eternal rejection! But I also know, and you know this too, there is one who did practice perfectly the religion that is pleasing to God. That is Jesus. God the Father said on several occasions, “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased!” Why was God pleased with Jesus? He’s the only one who perfectly practiced what God the Father wants! That religious, righteous life Jesus led is yours by faith. Through what Jesus God is now pleased with us! Isn’t that amazing?! What is just as amazing is that Jesus suffered on the cross for the times we refuse to listen to God or were uncaring in listening to others. For the times we didn’t keep a tight rein on our tongues, he suffered verbal and physical abuse from his enemies and, yes, even rejection by his Father on the cross. For the times we were stingy and unwilling to lift a finger to help others in need and for the times we acted more like children of this world rather than the redeemed children of God, Jesus gave up glory of heaven to experience the torments of hell! Because he died, we now have complete and full forgiveness! Are you relieved to know that? Does that make you not want to sing for joy? May this good news do even more. May it move us to strive with the Holy Spirit’s help to practice the kind of religion that is pleasing to God. And we know what is pleasing to God! Be quick to listen! Be slow to speak! Be eager to do good! Amen.