Session 9 With Obedience James 1:19-27; 2:1-4 October 27-28, 2018 Session Summary and Goal: James wants believers to understand the importance of living a life of obedience to the Father. Obedience to the Father means changing our behavior, or priorities, and our relationships with people. Obedience to the Father also means that our moral, philosophical, and ethical decisions will be at odds with the world. Main Passage: James 1:19-27; 2:1-4 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not accomplish God s righteousness. 21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Session Outline: I. Obedience means hearing and doing the Word of God (1:19-25) II. Obedience means controlling the tongue (1:26) III. Obedience means loving without worldly favoritism (1:27-2:4) Session in a Sentence: God desires obedience from His people, and obedience to God requires a transformation of our entire lives to share the priorities and behavior of Christ. Christ Connection: Jesus modeled perfect obedience to the will of the Father, and that obedience shaped every one of his decisions and interactions. If we are serious about obedience to the Father s will, then we must allow our decisions and interactions to be transformed to follow Christ s example.
Missional Application: Belief and obedience to the will of the Father will change not only our moral behavior but also the way we interact with the world. Obedience to the Father means caring about the same things that He cares about. God cares about reaching the lost, transforming lives, and bringing His justice to the world. If we examine ourselves and see that our priorities reflect those of the world, then that gives us an indication of our disobedience to God s will.
Introduction: What is obedience? According to our friends at Google, obedience is compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another s authority. Obedience requires the willingness to carry out the will or prerogative of another person that you consider an authority over you. Children are meant to obey their parents, soldiers must obey the orders of their commanders, trained animals are taught to obey the commands of their masters, and citizens are required to obey the laws of their country. What do these examples have in common? Each group looks to the other as their authority. Parents are the authority for children, commanders the authority for soldiers, masters the authority for animals, and governments the authority for citizens of a country. For Christians, we find our authority in the Triune God, who has revealed Himself in His Son Jesus, and whom we come to understand through engaging with His Word. If our authority is Christ as expressed in Scripture, then we must learn to become obedient to the commands, teachings, and statutes of God. However, God has given us the freedom to make choices. We all struggle to remain obedient to the will of the Father because we have our own agendas that we want to follow. Learning to be an obedient follower of Jesus is a lifelong discipline, and James gives us some guidance in this section of his letter. I. Obedience means hearing and doing the Word of God 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not accomplish God s righteousness. 21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out he will be blessed in what he does. What does it say? James begins by pointing out that obedience to the will of the Father requires not simply hearing, but also doing the Word of God. He starts this section with the recommendation that we should all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. The person who is quick to speak is also likely to be a person who quickly becomes angry and lashes out. Why is that dangerous? Because human anger does not accomplish God s righteousness. Often when we lash out in anger against our enemies, we feel in the moment that we are unleashing the justice of God. In reality, we are truly trying to satisfy our own sense of anger and justice. Speaking quickly and lashing out in anger is the response of a spiritually immature person. James then tells us that we should put away worldly desires and pursuits and instead welcome the message implanted within you. What is he talking about? He is referring to the Truth of the Gospel as expressed in God s Word. When we submit to the will of the Father, our souls are saved and we become more like Him. He continues by letting us know that we must not only hear the Word of God (the message ), but we must also live it out! According to James, the person who hears the
Word of God but does not live it out is like a person who forgets his own reflection as soon as he or she walks away from the mirror. The person who hears and does the Word of God will be blessed with a steel-trap memory of moral and spiritual truth. What does it mean? This section is packed with practical moral and behavioral truth. The main point that James is trying to communicate is that following Jesus requires that we 1) listen to and understand His Word and 2) follow through and do the things that His Word says. What examples does he give? First, James tells us that a Godly person is one who is a good listener, a person who is slow to speak, and a person who is slow to anger. Why does James mention these things? It s simple, a person who is obsessed with being heard and understood is a selfish person. As we will read later in James letter, our outward actions reflect the inner realities of our hearts. A person who is quick to speak and quick to get angry is a person who has not internalized obedience to the will of the Father. We are all in danger of confusing our desires with God s will. If you have been around churches for very long, you have probably had the experience of hearing someone say I really feel like God is telling me, and then go on to say something that is clearly something the speaker wants. They can t tell the difference between God telling them something and their own desires telling them something. As we read earlier in James chapter 1, our desires are deceptive and can lead us into sin. We MUST learn to differentiate between our will and God s will if we want to come to maturity in faith. Next, James tells us that we must both hear and do the Word of God. The person who hears the message but does not do the message is like a person who forgets what he looks like unless he is looking directly at a mirror. Keep in mind that when James wrote this letter, there was no such thing as photographs. The only way a person could know what they looked like was by looking into a mirror. The person who listens to God s Word but refuses to act upon it will quickly and easily be led into moral, ethical, and spiritual confusion. God s Word tells us the truth about the moral nature of the world, our purpose, and our place in God s creation. Following God s commands and statutes leads to clarity, purpose, and fulfillment. We must learn that when we hear God s Word, we do what He instructs. II. Obedience means controlling the tongue 26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. What does it say? The second instruction that James gives regarding obedience to the will of the Father is learning to control the tongue. If you say that you are godly, but refuse to control your tongue, it means that all of your religiosity is worthless. If your control of the tongue does not match up to your religious convictions, then your religion means nothing. What does it mean? We will actually talk a great deal more about the tongue when we get to James chapter 3, but this verse gives us a hint of what is to come. Our words have the potential to be incredibly powerful,
for building up or for tearing down. If we are serious about obeying God and honoring His will for our lives, we must be committed to controlling this incredibly powerful tool. Think about it, what is the means that God used to create the world? Genesis 1 tells us that He spoke, and His words are what brought forth creation into existence. God s spoken word is the fundamental reality and meaning behind the universe we occupy. We are created in God s image, so our words are also extremely powerful. We must wield our words wisely in the way that we speak to others. By the way, this truth is magnified the more power and influence you have. Since parents have power and influence over their kids, then the words of a mother or father over their children can be extra helpful or hurtful. Do you want to be obedient to God? Then be careful with your words, especially toward those under your authority. Application Questions: 1. Has anyone ever said a harsh word to you that stuck with you over a long period of time? 2. Has anyone ever said a kind or constructive word that has built you up for a long time afterward? 3. Who are the people in your life that your words could affect the most? III. Obedience means loving without worldly favoritism 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 1 My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, You sit here in a good place, and to the poor person, You stand over there, or Sit on the floor? 4 If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? What does it say? James gives us one last example of what it looks like to be obedient to the will of the Father. He tells us that obedience to God requires that we display love without any hint of worldly favoritism. First, he tells us that pure religion (following God) requires that we take care of the most vulnerable people (widows and orphans) while staying away from the corruption of the world. He goes on to explain that we must not treat anyone with favoritism or disdain based on their worldly status. James gives the example of two men entering into the church, one a wealthy man and one a poor man. He says that if you treat the rich man with favor and respect while dishonoring the poor man, then you have acted out of evil motives instead of obedience to the will of the Father. What does it mean? Obedience to the will of the Father means ridding ourselves of the corruption, priorities, and pursuits of the world as we love people. The Gospel implores us over and over again to love and serve those who can give us nothing in return. James says that serving these people is the purest form of Worship to the Lord. In the ancient world, taking care of a widow or an orphan would be a completely selfless act. In 2018, volunteering at an orphanage or a women s shelter could gain you favor with the people who see you post a picture on your social media profile. In the
ancient world, everyone would think you were an idiot for giving time, resources, or energy to someone who could not reciprocate your help. Here is the reality, we are all tempted to show favoritism toward those who have money, power, or notoriety. This is a product of our fallen, sinful nature. Obedience to the Father means learning to fight back against this instinct and serve and love all people who are made in God s image. Application questions? 1) Who do you find it easy to serve? Who do you find difficult to serve? 2) Who are the most vulnerable people in your life that God is calling you to serve? 3) What kind of people are you tempted to show favoritism toward?