Well, today's text is actually a often well-known one if you've been in the Christian community a while. In fact, who here has quoted some of these verses before, either to yourself or to others? I need to be, what is it? Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. How many wives have told their husbands that, or their husbands told their wives that, or family members to each other, parents to children? And what I want to tell you is that as I came to this text, the Lord had to do a work in me because what I realized is that I'm used to hearing these words and hearing this text, understood a certain way, and I honestly thought, oh, okay, I know what this is about, this will be pretty straightforward. But the more that I dug in and the more that I studied, the more I realized, huh, That's not what I thought they meant. So maybe that will be your case today as well. I think many people have misunderstood these verses. I think they don't necessarily teach what a lot of us think they teach. And it's not that these verses aren't useful. in our ability to connect with each other in terms of our relationships, in terms of our communication, in terms of our carefulness. But it's often that they're talked about on just that level. They're talked about, hey, we want to be quick to hear each other. We want to be quick to hear other people speak, or we want to be slow to speak to each other. We want to take our time and we want to do those things. carefully, or slow to anger. And that's true. Let me just say, it is true. Those are general truths. In fact, just a few examples. Proverbs 1, verses 8 and 9 says, here, the same thing, be quick to hear. Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, meaning be quick to hear the teaching and instruction that you're supposed to receive. Verse nine, for they are graceful garland to your head and pendants to your neck. So this is generally true. Parents are to teach their children and children are to listen to it. That's true, generally speaking. And it's also generally speaking true that people are to be careful in how quickly they speak. You're supposed to be slow to speak. Proverbs 17, 28 says, even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise. They're not quick to speak, they're silent. When he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. This is generally true. You could look more intelligent than you are just by shutting up, right? That's generally true, as well as being slow to anger. Proverbs 14, 29, whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. But I want to submit to you today that I don't think that these are general truths that James is giving us today. I think he actually has a very specific and a very primary application that we're supposed to take home, and it's not necessarily our interactions with each other. I think the primary understanding that we should have in these verses, these short verses, has everything to do with how we interact with God himself. And specifically, how we interact with God in the speaking and teaching of his word. In fact, let me just kind of quickly try to prove this point. Some of you guys just went to the conference about how to interpret the Word, how to study the Word, and I mean, you go to any interpretational study on what to do, you'll hear context, context, context. What does the Bible say in its context? Don't take it out of context. Read it according to what goes before it, what goes through it, what goes after it. You know, location, location, location, if you're a realtor, right? Well, let's just do that very thing in the book of James and realize that this is not generally talking about how we should be slow to this or quick to that. Generally, it's very specific about God's Word. Let me read to you just the previous verse. In verse 18, it speaks of God's Word. It says, of His own will, He, God, brought us forth, He gave us birth by the Word of truth, the very verse before 19, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. He's talking about being born again through the hearing and the preaching of God's Word. This is the verse directly before our passage. So it's already the context of God's word and through preaching and through teaching, right? Now just go to verse 21, and what is he gonna say? He's gonna say, receive the word, the word. Verse 21, receive with meekness the implanted word. And in that very same verse, he says, which is able to save your souls. Which word is able to save your souls except that of the preaching and the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ? And then not just before it, through it, but what about after it? The very next verse in verse 22 says, but be doers of the word, of the word, not hearers only. That'll be for next time. Deceiving ourselves for if anyone who is a hearer of the word, oh wait, didn't we just talk about hearing? This passage is not generally talking to us about how we are to interact with each other as neighbors, although that's probably appropriate secondary applications, general applications, if you will, but that is not the primary point of our text this morning. And I would encourage you to listen up, because that's exactly what Christ is calling us to do through this text. Listen up. Sometimes we get Scripture wrong, or often it actually affects us when we do. So I've had to do some, huh, and some repenting, and I've had to do some, I've read that too quickly. I have not read that carefully enough. I'm guessing I'm not the only one. So let me ask our question for this morning. How are we to respond when hearing teaching from God's Word? That is what our part in our question is for this morning. How are we to respond when hearing teaching or preaching from God's Word? That's what we're going to be talking about. And so now we can get into our points. Our first point being this, is that we must be quick to hear God. through the teaching of His Word. We must be quick to hear God through the preaching, through the teaching of His Word. So now let's get into this quick text, this short text here. It says, Let me just stop there real quick before we get to that command. This is another indicator that we're talking about not just generally how we are to interact with each other. Yes, it's talking about Christians, but that word brothers is often also understood to be brothers and sisters, it's for the corporate group. And he's not specifically talking to an individual, he's talking to a group. And within that group, when he says, let every person within that group be what? Quick to hear. Quick to hear what? quick to hear the word that God gives to the gathered people of God. Where the gathering of the brothers and sisters are, where is that? That's the preaching and the teaching ministry of the church. He's not generally talking about how you should be quick to hear by listening to others' thoughts and opinions about life, and you don't want to react too quickly about responding to them. He's saying, be my beloved brothers, he's talking to church people, Let every person be quick to hear. This lines up directly with what already has been taught in the Scriptures. Ecclesiastes 5 verse 1 is a very clear example of this. It says how we should react when we go in the presence of God, amongst the assembly of God. It says, guard your steps when you go to the house of God. to draw near, to listen, to hear, to be quick to hear, is better than to offer sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil." This whole section is really about our attitude towards the teaching and preaching ministry of the church. What is your attitude towards the teaching and preaching ministry of the church? Are you eager, are you quick to receive from the Lord what He has to give you? Is it actually something that you think about? Is it something that you're praying about? Something that you're thinking about all week? Are you quick to hear what God has to tell you? Or is it something that, you know, you're in the habit of doing, you know it's good, so sure, I'll hear the Word whenever we do that, but man, I look forward to those lunches too. Did you know that the most important thing that you'll receive today here is the preaching and the teaching of the Word of God? That is the most important thing that you will receive. Because it is literally God, not just figuratively, literally God speaking to you through His Word. Do you need anything besides that or that is more important than that? You need God Himself to give you a word. People are always looking for words. They're looking for, right, prophetic words. God gives you prophetic word every week. Every week you'll hear from God. You can hear from God throughout the week as well as you seek God through his word, through the meditation of his word, through the reading and memorizing and the singing of God's word. That's what we're supposed to be doing daily in our personal times of devotion, in our family times of devotion, whether married with children or without children. This is a regular part of what we do, but there's something particularly special about the gathered church. God is said to have a special presence amongst us, that we are lifted up to the heavenlies, that Christ is walking amongst his lampstands, as it says in Revelation 1, and that he speaks the word through his angel, which is often understood to be the messenger that God is using, the means by which he's using to speak his message. Are you quick to receive that? Are you quick to want that? That's our question for this section, is how deep is your longing to hear from God through His Word? How deep is your longing to hear from God through His Word? You're not just hearing from me or another man or another person who teaches, you're hearing from God when you're hearing the rightly interpreted, rightly taught Word, hearing from God Himself. How much do you want that? How much do you long for that? How much is that what you pray for? Lord, give me your word. Lord, teach me your ways. In fact, I love, many of us know Psalm 119, longest psalm in the Psalter, and it's all about God's word. The longest psalm in the Psalter is exclusively about God and his word and his commandments and his rules. Are you so thirsty and desirous of God's Word? Or is it something that you know you gotta do, and yeah, it's good and right, but like, I like watching movies too. And I like reading articles too. And there's all kinds of literature that I'm just happy to fill my time with. Podcasts are my favorite. I mean, can we acknowledge that we are so quick to fill our time with other things besides God's Word? Let me read from Psalm 119. There's so many verses here that could share very similar truths, but there's this one section that just really wonderfully lays it out, starting in verse four and on. Let me read them to you. It says, you have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Are you quick to hear? Are you diligent to receive them? Oh, look at him, he says, oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes. This longing, oh Lord, that I would keep your statutes. Then I shall not be put to shame. There's an active understanding that when I am not living according to God and his word, that I am living shamefully. Oh Lord, I do not want to live in shame. I want to live in open praise of you and freedom from sin. I don't want to be living in the mire and the muck of my sin anymore. I want to be living according to your word. Verse six, then I will not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. Verse seven, I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes. Do not utterly forsake me. There's no hint of negativity, disdain, of apathy, of boredom with God's word, of frustration with God's word. It is only love and blessing and longing and yearning Verse nine, how can a young man keep his way pure? How do I live my life in a way that's pleasing to God, that's pure? By guarding it according to your word. It's not just young men, it's young women, it's all of us, young or old. How do we keep our ways pure? It's through God's word. Verse 10, with my whole heart I seek you. Let me not wander from your commandments. How do we seek God with his whole heart, with our whole heart? It's by running to the scriptures and saying, Lord, teach me, teach me, teach me. all of your commandments. I have stored up your word in my heart." What does that mean? I have memorized your word such that it is in there. I don't even need to go look it up. It's already there. I've stored it inside of me. Here's a clear example of our need and call to memorize the scriptures, the way they're always with us, that I might not sin against you. How much, how deeply do you long for God and His Word? Well, we're called to be quick to hear God's Word, to love God's Word, to want God's Word, to be seeking God's Word. That's how we're to respond to it, not to be dull or apathetic or bored or rather be doing anything else. Is it the first thing that you want to do when you wake up? Is it the last thing you want to do when you go to bed? Does it come up to your mind multiple times? This is what we're called to do in this scripture. And yes, of course, we have lives by which we need to do other things and get them accomplished, but does that not mean that we have more opportunity to bring God's Word into our daily lives? That we could be applying God's Word to our daily situation? It's not like, oh, I gotta do my family stuff now because, put that Word on the shelf. No, no, no, we are living out the Word all the time. And so this is what we're called to do. James calls us to do this. How are we to respond to the teaching of God's Word? The first is to be quick to hear it, to be eager to hear it, to be longing to hear it and to receive it. Let's look at our second point for this morning is how are we to respond to the teaching of God's Word? It's that we must be slow to teach God's Word. We must be slow to teach God's Word without preparation or approval. This is an important one. I honestly think many people misunderstand these verses. When it says, be quick to hear, slow to speak, people think it's slow to speak any general word. I do not believe that that's what these verses are speaking. I believe it's saying, do not be quick to speak God's word as if you know what God's word is or as if you have been given that particular mantle of preaching and teaching God's word. without this preparation or approval. Look what he says, it says, know this my beloved brothers, let everyone be quick to hear, which is what we went for, now slow to speak. And you go, yeah, but that just seems so general. How do you get that specific part of not teaching God's Word from these three words? Well, just, we've already proven the point that he's talking about God's Word before, God's Word during, God's Word after, but this particular point is also upheld by other teaching that James gives us in the very same letter. What does he say in James chapter three, verse one? Not many of you should become teachers. My brothers, interesting, my brothers, be slow, be quick to hear, slow to speak, my brothers, he doesn't say my brothers in every single section, but there's a connection here. Do not, not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness. Becoming a teacher of God's word is a fearful thing. We are now tasked with the responsibility to speak on behalf of God the rightly interpreted word of God. And so we must be slow to speak on God's behalf. Because we must, if we're speaking on God's behalf, we could be blaspheming God by mixing in our own opinion, by mixing in stories of our own testimony, by mixing in what we think makes sense to us in our own wisdom, but it's not actually God's wisdom. We are bringing God's holy name down by talking of our own will and our own opinion and saying this is what God thinks. Oh no, we must be slow to speak on those ways. Ecclesiastes says very similar things, chapter 5 again. We already read chapter 5, 1, now let's read 2 and 3. Do not be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth, therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much busyness, much business, and a fool's voice with many words. You know what that last part meant? Let your words be few, a dream comes with much business. If you go into the Old Testament and you realize this whole idea of dreams, God has given dreams in the past to speak to people. But there's also dreams that are a person's own dreams, a person's own desires and thoughts. In fact, you could just go to Jeremiah and some of the prophets who specifically tell you how to be able to discern who is a true prophet from God and who is a false prophet from God. The true prophet from God, he says, thus sayeth the Lord, and whatever he says will happen 100% of the time. But then it says, if it doesn't happen, if it's just their own opinion, it says, it is their own dreams. It is their own heart speaking. You do not have to fear them, do not listen to them, because I did not send them. There is a sense in which if you are claiming to speak on behalf of God, you better be very careful and very correct and very clear and not speak your own words on God's behalf. Slow to speak God's word, slow to use God's name as an authority just to get your own point across. We should not be saying things like, I prayed and God spoke to me. We should not be saying things like that. Why? What we can say is, in a time of prayer, in a time of when I was praying and reading God's word, I was learning these things, and God seems to be teaching this thing to me. Now, notice how I said it that way. but let's get this, let's double check this. There shouldn't be this overconfidence, if you will, that God, I have a direct line to God and that he sends these things directly to me and so I should be sharing them with everyone else. God has given preachers and teachers and pastors and shepherds to be able to guard the flock. And so, it doesn't mean that if you're not a preacher or a teacher that you can't learn the scriptures. That's not what that means. But what it does mean is we should be slow to speak as if we are speaking the words of God to people because that, literally, that is God's name on the line here. We do not want to blaspheme God's name by giving our own opinion. In fact, notice this in Proverbs 18. I've shared this with several people. It's an important proverb because I think this is true of our time. We're encouraged to be fools today. What does it say, Proverbs 18, 1? A fool takes no pleasure in understanding. What are we told? We're told, oh, if something's been put on your heart, you should share it. No, foolish people share whatever's on their heart. but only in expressing his own opinion. We should not be quick to be giving our own opinions. We should not be quick to be expressing what we think God has told us. We should be slow to speak. We should be quick to receive from God, but then quick to, what, to double check, to triple check, to not be so sure that we know exactly what might have happened. In fact, what has been my experience, my guess is your experience as well to some degree, How many, I mean, today's passage is another example of, I thought I knew what this scripture was about, and turns out I spoke pretty confidently about it, and had told people that this is what they should learn from it. Now I'm having to go, I was wrong. That's not actually what that text is about. What should I have done? Not spoken so quickly. I should have taken more time to diligently devote myself, instead of just assuming that I understand it by a quick cursory reading. We should be humble. We should go, Lord, is this what you have for me? Let me double check. Let me not assume that I know everything super quickly. Again, that doesn't mean that we can't learn or we won't learn. I'm not trying to discourage our learning. We should read the Scriptures. We should encourage one another from the Scriptures. But we should be careful about the tenor, the tone, the quickness about how we go about doing that. We should have an appropriate level of humility on how we go about doing that. We're told to be slow to speak when we're speaking and receiving and hearing God's Word. Let's not be fools who just want to say what comes into our heart because we believe our heart so quickly. But here, let me say another understanding and application that is directly related to this. not to be slow to speak God's Word, is that we should be slow to appoint the leaders over us who are given the charge to be preachers and teachers of the Word. In fact, there's a direct command from Paul through the first letter of Timothy that says that. It's a command. 1 Timothy 5.22, do not be hasty in the laying on of hands. What is the laying on of hands? Ordaining men to the ministry. nor take part in the sins of others." What is a direct application, a direct understanding of be slow to speak, be slow to ordain, be slow to appoint leaders, be slow to follow people who appoint themselves? This is such a part in our own day and age. People get some direct feeling, some direct, what they think is a word from God, and what do they do? They start soandsoministries.com. And they have YouTubes and podcasts and they have great video, it's really great production value. But what are they doing? They've been around two years, three years, never trained in the Scriptures, have way too much confidence, don't know what they're talking about, but boy are they persuasive. They should be slow to speak God's Word. They should not be speaking God's Word unless they've been called to speak God's Word through the local church ordaining them to speak God's Word. I honestly believe that if people rightly understood this text, that they would shut down many websites. They would shut down many podcasts today. They would repent of their hastiness. They would repent of their speaking too quickly about things they don't know what they're talking about. And they should humble themselves and be trained and take the time, take the time that it takes to get rightly grounded in the scriptures before you start spouting off what you think is so great. The effects of this are massive when people speak. I mean, have you not experienced yourself? How many of you have, you know, a member of your family or somebody in your friend group who speaks too confidently about the Word of God, and you kind of have to go, yeah, okay, so-and-so, God told you what, okay, yeah. And you're just kind of like, okay, praise the Lord. You're trying to give credit to the Lord. You're kind of like, yeah, God is good and His word is good and our pastor said this. Because you're just sort of like, who are you? Who are you? James says, be slow to speak. Be slow to speak God's word. Don't be slow to study it. Don't be slow to receive it. Be slow to speak it as if you're the authoritative teacher that God has placed in the church to do that with. The effects are devastating. Just one example here, 1 Timothy 1, 6 and 7, he gives a description of what it's like when people are quick to speak God's Word out of turn. What does it say? Verse 6, certain persons, by swerving from these, these true things, have wandered away into vain discussions, desiring to be teachers. There's nothing inherently wrong with desiring to be a teacher, but there's something wrong about becoming a teacher on your own authority or too quickly without the proper ordaining process of the church. Desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either of what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. This is devastating when Christians make confident assertions about things they don't know what they're talking about. In fact, I've experienced this, maybe you have as well. Sometimes people realize that if they're gunning for a position or they kind of are publicly wanting to be in a place of authority. That's off-putting. So some of us, some people know that enough to be able to be like, okay, I don't want to be so specific about that because people will kind of sniff that out and I don't want to look bad. But sometimes it's a little more sly. That people in Sunday school, people in a teaching situation, have you ever noticed that when people ask questions, it's often not a question but an assertion? You ever notice? They have something to teach you. in their question. Oh, I have a question. Isn't it true that this should be that way and that should be that way because of this reason, because of that, because this other guy said that? Isn't that true? Something like that, right? Isn't it something, or help me out. Is that the way it should be? But actually what you're doing is you're thinking you know better. It could be much slyer than we think. Our hearts are often corruptible in thinking I know better here. But let me not look like I know better here and sort of ask it in the form of a question. That's not something we should be doing. We should be slow to speak. Our heart should be slow to speak. So we should be slow to speak, especially when we're not prepared or we're not called to that time, but also if we don't have approval. If we don't have approval, God gives particular places and stations in the church and in life for certain types of people. One is you, let's say pastor, let's say preachers and overseers, you have to be a qualified man, not just any man. There are qualifications that take place. And if you're not qualified, you should not be in that position. That's why we do this with fear and trembling, those of us who preach and teach the word. We need to realize that this is God's word. So not just any man, but qualified men who are called by the church. But not only that, women, I mean, there's a whole clear, the Bible clearly says that women should not be preachers and teachers in the Scriptures. It says this, and I know, I'm not saying anything new, we've talked about this before, many of you know this, but there's not an approval. God has not approved of this. He says in 1 Timothy 2, I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. And if I were to say this in other places, what do they do? I'm offended by that." Or, that's rude, pastor. But have we not learned to trust God? Are we not willing to receive from God when He says how we are to arrange the church? He doesn't just say it once, He says it again in 1 Corinthians 14. As in all the churches, this is not just a Corinthian thing, it's not just a Galatian thing, it's not just an Ephesian thing, it's all the churches, it's a universal thing. The women should keep silent in churches. He just repeats himself from Timothy. And he says, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission as the law says. And if there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. I just want to say one more thing about this. I'm not looking to harp on women. Women should learn, women should receive, Women should share and encourage one another with the word. They should be training their children at home. They should be encouraging other women. This is not against women, but it is against a authoritative teaching position. Leadership in the church, pastors, elders. It is shameful when we have women preaching in the pulpit. It is shameful. And I wonder if you feel the weight of God's Word. Do you quickly receive this part of God's Word and say, when you see a woman preacher or a woman teacher, when you hear about your friends or family who go to churches with women preachers and teachers, do you just go, oh yeah, we differ on that? Or do you go, that's shameful? Because I think in our day and age, we've lost this. We've lost the yuck factor of this. It's shameful, God says. We should be slow to speak God's word, out of turn, without preparation, without approval. Now let me talk to myself and to the other preachers or other people who are aspiring to be preachers and teachers. We must not come into the pulpit or into the teaching time without actually wrestling with God ourselves, without our hearts actually being laid before God and confessing our sin and asking God to do a work in us, because we are unworthy vessels for this. We pray for us, that God would humble us and use us to speak His Word directly to you the way that He has called us to do this. How are we to receive God's teaching and preaching of His Word? We are to be quick to hear it, to desire it, to be eager to want it in our lives, in every part. We're to be slow to speak it inappropriately. We're to seek more and more understanding. We are not to be seeking to be teachers out of turn. We're to seeking to be humble and continuing to learn in God's Word, to be ready to speak the Word appropriately, in season, and appropriate in the right ways. Let's look at our last point. Actually, let's not look at our last point. Let me ask you this question. Do you rightly understand how important it is to strictly guard biblical teaching? Do you rightly understand how important it is to strictly guard biblical teaching? Many of us love biblical teaching. Many of us want biblical teaching. And I praise the Lord that we are here, that many of us. I mean, I think that is something that characterizes our church, and I'm so grateful for that. I'm grateful for the conversations we have. Help me understand, and what does God want? Get me there, get me there, like help me understand this. But it is the difference between a living church and a dead church, or a growing church and a dying church, is the preaching teaching ministry, is the biblical teaching ministry. And growing doesn't necessarily mean exploding the doors. Growing might mean growing in depth, growing in holiness, growing in zeal, growing in humility, Growing in love, growing in patience, growing in kindness. Growing in steadfastness. God wants to, God has called us to have a ministry where we are preaching the gospel so that people can come into the kingdom, to be made new covenant believers through the preaching of God's word. But he also has called us to what? Teach them. We're to go to the nations, to baptize them, and to teach them everything that he commanded. To teach him the whole scriptures. That's a long-term project that we are never graduating from. That's why we should be, that's why we're called to preach in the morning. That's why we have teaching Sunday school. Are you quick to come to Sunday school? Are you quick to come to midweek Bible study? Do you want it more? What's more important, an hour of sleep? Are you quick? Do you understand how important it is? 1 Timothy 5. I'm sorry, 1 Timothy 6 describes the seriousness of this office and of this teaching. It says, verse 3, if anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words. which produce envy, what is the fruit of this? Produces envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. We could be so...we are just a few quick seasons away from being a church that God is pleased with because we are preaching and teaching and calling people to the fullness of Christ in His Word, to somebody's got some cool ideas that are maybe a little bit more modern, a little bit more savvy to the culture, a little bit more easy to receive. and we are on a new path towards death. A new path towards friendliness with the world is enmity towards God. May we not do that, may we guard this preaching and teaching. Now let's look at our last point. How are we to respond to God's word and his teaching and his preaching? We are to be quick to hear and slow to speak it inappropriately. Now, what is our last point? We must be slow to anger when receiving rebuke from God's word. We are to be slow to anger when receiving God's rebuke from his word. Now it's true that when you receive God's Word, there are some wonderful, beautiful messages of hope, of encouragement, of comfort. God's Word is living and active and able to meet us in all parts of our life, but one of the very clear purposes of God's Word is to correct us and rebuke us and to call us to stop sinning, to start loving and trusting, to humble ourselves before God, to get rid of that sin. James says, for know this, brothers, my beloved brothers, let every person be slow to anger now, be slow to anger. Notice what it says in the explanatory clause of verse 20, slow to anger for, this is the one that has the explanation, quick to hear doesn't necessarily, and slow to speak doesn't, but this one does, this one does. And what does it say? For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Meaning, when God speaks to you through his word, through the preaching and teaching of his word, rightly interpreted, appropriately done, instead of us going, who do you think you are to tell me that? It's not as bad as you say it is, why are you picking on me? It's like I'm saying this to everybody, why are you taking it so personally? In fact, I've heard it a few times where people have come up to me afterward in other churches too, they'd say, boy, how did you know? It's like you were just talking to me, there was nobody else in the room. It's like, it wasn't me, it was God's word speaking to you. This is the Holy Spirit. It's just the rightly interpreted, spoken word unto you, and therefore it's highly productive in your soul, in your spirit. We're not to be angry in hearing from God's word, particularly where God is calling us to repent. How do you know that? Well, just look at verse 21. Look at verse 21, it says, therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness. Why would he say that? Because that's what it means to repent. When you hear God's Word and God's Word says you're a sinner in desperate need of saving, non-Christians, unbelievers, should not say, who do you say that I am? I'm not that bad, I didn't murder anybody. You shouldn't get angry. When it says, put away your filthiness, we should receive it. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness, and what? Receive with meekness, with humility, the implanted Word, meaning the Word that God Himself is planting in your heart, the one that the Spirit is teaching you through, which is able to save your souls. He's talking about preaching. He's talking about teaching. We should be slow to anger when receiving God's teaching. We shouldn't be quick to defend ourselves. We should be quick to say, Lord, show me my wicked ways. Show me what is wrong with me. Cleanse me by your word. Have your lamp be a light unto my feet, right? Unto my path. Shine your light in my life. It takes humility and meekness to be able to do that. 2 Timothy 3 says, all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching. There's four words. Teaching, teaching means to explain things more deeply. And then for the second one, for reproof, that means stop it. You're doing this, stop doing that. That's harmful, that's sinful, that's wrong, that's against God's law, stop it. That's what reproof means. And for correction, that's instead of doing that sinful thing, do it this way instead. Here's a correction. You were crooked in this area, let's straighten that way out. Instead of sinning, love the Lord. Follow Him this way. That's what correction is. And then training. And here are the steps. Here's the practical ways. Here's the practical ways to believe, the practical ways to feel, the practical ways to obey this process of godliness. The Word is doing all of that. And two out of the four, I mean, they're all for our souls, but, I mean, reproof and correction are what we're in the middle here. Ecclesiastes 7 says, be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. It's fools who get angry quickly. They're offendable instead of humble. And this is exactly what James has said in other places. I mean, this is how we interpret the Word. We understand what it says in context, and we also see what it says in the same author, in the same letter, the same work, just like it says, do not be quick to become teachers. Well, there's also something very similar to this point. In James 4, verse 7 and on, it says, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Instead of saying, no, I'm not that bad, it's not, who are you to say that to me? No, no, no, cleanse your hands, submit yourself to God. Purify your heart, so there's something wrong with your heart. Ask God to purify it. You're double-minded. You're a person that is acting like you believe God, you don't believe God. You want God, you don't want God. No, no, don't do that, just want God. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you." We're going to spend a whole sermon on that later on in this series, but right now we're just using it to say this is consistent with what James is saying in the rest of his letter. Be slow to anger when you're receiving God's rebuke in your life. Submit yourself humbly. So let me ask you, do you receive biblical correction with humility and sincere repentance? Do you receive biblical correction, biblical rebuke, with humility and sincere repentance? You know, people may ask, who is this for? Is this just for the Christian? Only Christians can do this, right? We're not supposed to do this to non-Christians. That's just gonna make them mad. They don't get it, they don't have the Spirit yet. No, in fact, our Baptist catechism is very helpful here in question number five. The catechism says, may all men make use of the Holy Scriptures? Answer, all men are not only permitted but commanded and exhorted to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures. I know our kids know this because we sing the Baptist Catechism in our family. All men are not only permitted but commanded and exhorted to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures. You can learn it too. Are all men to make use of the Holy Scriptures? This is for everyone. The scriptures are for everyone. Now it's true that non-Christians, first things first, they need to enter into the kingdom. And so the scriptures are not to modify non-Christians' behavior. Yes, it's true that God's moral law is meant to curb sinfulness in society. It's good that we have the Ten Commandments in schools. It's good that we have the Ten Commandments in our city government. It's good and right to be able to do that. Why? Because when you live according to God's moral law, there is more peace in the world when there's less stealing and lying against your neighbor. That's good, right? But first things first, their heart needs to be changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so the non-Christian needs to hear, needs to respond to, ask the Lord for the forgiveness of your sins. You wretched sinner, you are going to hell. Your sin is only hurting you every day. Moment by moment, you're stacking up wrath of God. Good news, Jesus came to earth to satisfy the wrath of God, to live out that righteous life that none of us have lived. He's the only one who's lived it. Believe in Jesus and Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins. And you'll be forgiven and you'll be made one of God's children. You'll receive the Holy Spirit. You'll be given new power, new strength to overcome the darkness in your own heart. And even though you will continue to have some darkness in your heart, God will work and strengthen you. Non-Christians need to hear this. We all need to hear that though, don't we? Because we need to remember from where we've fallen from. We need to remember that we too were in darkness. We too were led astray by our own falseness and wickedness. So how do you receive biblical correction? Do you receive it with humility and sincere repentance? I mean, there's all kinds of Proverbs about this, just a few examples. Chapter 10, verse 17 says, whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. Are you on the path of life or are you leading others astray? Proverbs 12.1 says, whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Biblical word. Stupid. Obviously, that's a strong word. Some of us tell our kids not to say that word. The Bible says that word and it means it. It means you're being stupid, like not smart, dumb, like going to end up in a bad place. Don't do it. I'm not trying to be provocative, it's just we're not supposed to use words like that, but there are appropriate uses of that word. The Bible uses that. Now, those are the people who love instruction, hate reproof. There's other examples. In fact, chapter 5, verse 12 and on, gives a description of somebody. It says, and you say how I hated discipline and my heart despised reproof. I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am on the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation. You know, sometimes we don't think we're that bad, but I think we all have parts of our life where we're pretty stubborn. We all have parts in our life where we go, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm really gonna do what I wanna do here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to read my Bible. Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to be kind. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to, but I just would rather do something else, and that's called idolatry. Are you just, do you throw up your hands and say, well, I'm never going to get better at this? Or do you say, yeah, but maybe I'll deal with that later? Or do you say, oh Lord, I really am, I really do need help. Help me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Well, if we rightly understand what James is calling us to, then it is a robust respect for God's Word. But let me just say that we cannot do this in our own strength. And I would imagine that maybe through the preaching of God's Word today, you maybe feel that there are areas of lack in your life, areas where you're not rightly doing this. And let me encourage you, if you are in the Lord, if you belong to Christ, there is forgiveness of sin. If you are in Christ, you have access to His Holy Spirit to strengthen and empower you. You have access to the Spirit's illuminating of your mind, the reviving of your heart. And in fact, this is something, praise the Lord, that Christ did perfectly for us. Christ perfectly was quick to receive from God, quick to listen to the teaching of God. He memorized the scriptures. He knew them. Even at a young age, he knew them. Remember Luke chapter two, verses 52, it says, Christ increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Well, what is the story right before that? He was 12 years old. And he was at the temple as a 12-year-old. Christ was more mature than us. What happens? Amen, brother. Luke 2, verses 46, it says, after three days, they found him, Jesus, in the temple, sitting amongst the teachers. He was quick to listen, listening to them and asking them questions. He was doing it rightly. And all who heard were amazed at his understanding of his answers, this little 12-year-old. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, son, why have you treated us so? What is she saying? Why do you treat me like this? You're making my heart burst. I was scared for you. And Jesus didn't go, I'm so sorry that I made you get scared. What did Jesus say? She said, behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. And then 49, he said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? Would I have been anywhere other than I should have been? Now, somebody go, whoa, is that a snarky 12 year old? No, He did not sin in any way. He just said, it's simple. I want to be with my Father in His temple. I want to receive all of His teaching for me. Why would I be anywhere else? I'm not being a little, you know, brat chumpo running around playing hide and seek. I'm at the temple. I love the Lord and His Word. Christ was more righteous at 12 than we'll ever be. Praise the Lord that He's our Savior. Praise the Lord that we can have faith in Him and Him alone, that He was quick to listen for us, amen? John 12 says not only was he quick to listen, but he only taught the exact right things in the exact right ways. Never too much, never too little. Look what he says in John 12, for I have not spoken on my own authority, Christ says, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment. what to say, and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me." Christ is the perfect teacher. Never too much, never too little, exactly right. And therefore, we can trust whatever is in these scriptures, Christ has exactly given to us the way we should receive it. So if you've fallen short in these ways, and I know many of us have, and even daily sometimes, look to Christ. Say, Lord, thank you for being my perfect righteousness, and thank you for forgiving me of my sin. May I place my faith in you, and my rest and my hope in you alone. Amen? Amen, let's pray. Father, thank you so much for these words of correction, of rebuke, also of teaching and training how to do this. Lord, I pray that we'd be growing all the time in our knowledge and understanding of the word, myself included, all of us, Lord, are always in process. So Lord, may you have your will amongst us as individuals, as families, as a church. May you grow the preaching and teaching of your word. Lord, may we be, Lord, if it in your will, just a, a beacon, a ministry, a church that is steady, steadfast, that has an impact, not just here, but in other places. Lord, thank You that we could join this local church association. Lord, may we be a blessing to them, may they be a blessing to us, may we learn from them, and may we all learn from Your Word. Thank You, Christ, for being our Savior. It's in Your name we pray. Amen. Amen.