Be Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

In this message, James encourages believers to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. The world often does the opposite, but it's important for us to strive to work out God's righteousness within us. We should also be patient and listen to God's word, keeping it in our hearts and minds. Jesus teaches that those who have understanding will be given more, while those who don't will lose what they have. It's important to listen to God's word and practice it. We should also be slow to anger and control our emotions. Cain's lack of control led to sin and destruction, while Peter's quick reaction showed he wasn't considering God's will. We should strive to have the qualities of God and Jesus, being quick to hear and slow to anger. Tests and trials reveal how well we're doing, and we should be patient and listen to God's guidance. Hello everyone, it's really nice to be with you again, and if we can, let's begin the message by turning back to what James wrote in James, the first chapter. So let's go back to the book of James, and in James 1, and we're going to start reading in verse 17, he says, every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above. Coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation nor shadow of returning. And we know for us, a gift for us is the gift of grace in our calling. Verse 18, it says, according to his own will, he begot us by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all his created beings. And we know that's what we look forward to, is being firstfruits in the kingdom of God. Let's go on and focus on verse 19 and what the message is about here today. It says, for this reason, keeping these things in mind about our calling and the purpose God has for us and what we should be doing, here's some things James said we need to be keeping in mind. It says, for this reason, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, because man's wrath does not work out God's righteousness. So again, James gives us something here for us to consider, for us to be thinking about as we're on this spiritual walk. With God's spirit within us, we should be, as it says here, striving to work out God's righteousness within us. When you think about what James is mentioning here about how important it is for us to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, we look at the world, and especially the world we live in today and all the different mindsets we have, the world really does this in an opposite way. They're more quick to speak. They're more quick to have wrath or have anger. They're not very quick to listen. They're very slow to listen, this world is and how it's going. If we can apply this, what James is talking about here, to ourselves, it will definitely help in our conversion and building the mind of Christ and building the mind of God and having a better relationship with God and Jesus Christ, the relationship we need to have. But also, this will help us with the relationships we have with other people. It's very important we have good relationships with people, especially the brother, especially the brother. I want to be turning back, if you would, now to Matthew, the 13th chapter. It's a blessing for all of us that are in the church to be able to hear God's Word, to be able to hear, to be able to have God's Word in our very hands every day that we can pick up and read and study upon. So let's see what Christ said here in Matthew 13. In verse 10, he said, And his disciples came to him and asked, Why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has understanding, to him more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance. But whoever does not have understanding, even what he has shall be taken from him. So we need understanding, all of us. We need more understanding. And Christ said here, to those of us who do have understanding, we will be given more. For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they will see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, In hearing you shall hear and in no way understand, and in seeing you shall see and in no way perceive. For the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have been closed, lest they should see with their ears, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them. And again, that's what we see in the world, don't we? Those who don't see, they don't understand, they don't hear or perceive. But again, Christ says here, but blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. So James said, be quick to hear. And we have this opportunity to hear, don't we, at this time. Let's go back to Luke also, see what's said in Luke, Luke the 11th chapter. In Luke 11, and we're going to read verses 27 and 28, it says, And it came to pass as he spoke these things, a certain woman lifted up her voice from the multitude and said to him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and blessed in the breasts that you sucked. And he said, Yes, rather blessed are those who hear the word of God and they keep it. And again, an indication of those of us who have this opportunity to hear God's word, and then we keep it. It's a blessing to us if we're willing to hear. And then that's why we're here in Luke. Let's go back to Luke, the sixth chapter, Luke six and verse 47. It says, Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and practices them, I will show you what he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock, and a flood came, and the torment beat against the house, but could not shake it because it was founded on the rock. But the one who has my words and has not practiced them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, and when the torment beat against it, it fell at once. And the ruin of that house was great. So again, there's this opportunity and a blessing for all of us who are willing to hear God's word and be quick to hear it, and then go on to listen to it and practice it and follow. So hopefully that's our desire. All of us, we want to hear. We want to be quick to hear what God has to say to us. And, you know, we're going to turn back to Hebrews, the fifth chapter, if you'll turn back there with me. But we see Paul talks about here a concern he had because there are those who maybe become dulled hearing. So let's see what Paul wrote here in Hebrews 5, in verse 9. He says, And having been perfected, and we're speaking about Jesus Christ here, he became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him, after he had been designated by God as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. So we know Jesus Christ and who he is, and he, yes, he is the author of salvation. Says later in Hebrews that he is the beginner and the finisher of our faith. Christ laid the course for us as an example. There's so much to be said and to be learned about Christ. Let's go on and see what Paul says here. He says concerning him that be Jesus being Jesus Christ, he says, we have much to say. But he says here, and hard to explain. And why is this? Paul says, since you have become dulled in hearing. And dull means there is, you've lost the excitement in the hearing, you've lost interest in hearing. Brethren, there is so much to be said about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ should be preached and taught so much, and our ears should never become dulled hearing about Christ. We should always be excited. We should always be interested. But a warning here that here are some that become dull in their hearing, right? So we've got to be careful about, be careful about that. Let's go, while we're in Hebrews, let's go back to Hebrews, the 13th chapter. Hebrews 13, Hebrews 13 and verse 20, it says, and may the God of peace who raised our Lord Jesus from among the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, perfect you in every good work in order that you may do his will, accomplishing in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. And that's how it's done through Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through the grace given to us through Christ, to whom be the glory unto the ages of eternity. Now Paul writes here, now I admonish you, brethren, patiently listen to this message of exhortation, for I have written to you in only a few words. So do we have to be patient in our listening, don't we? Patiently listen, because there is continually a message being given to us for those who are willing to listen and to listen patiently. And sometimes it's hard to be patient, isn't it, in our listening. But this is required of us, to be patient in our listening. Let's go back to Psalm 119, Psalm 119, Psalm 119, and we're going to read verse 97. It says here, Oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all day. I hope this is something we all do. And really it's a good sign to us or a good indication how well we're listening. As we go through the day, if our minds on God's word and meditating on God's law and his commandments and his instructions and the things that he desires for us to do, if our minds are on these type of things, it's a pretty good indication that we're listening patiently or being quick to hear. If our minds are good on a lot of different things and other things that may mean we need to practice more at this. But this is where our mind should be throughout the day, that we have God's word within us and we're thinking about. Let's go back while we're in Psalm, the Psalm, the fourth chapter, Psalm four, and we're going to read verses one through four. It says, answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You gave me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my glory be put to shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? That's what the world desires to hear. Vain words, lies, the speaking of lies, the things that are against God and his word. That's what the world desires to hear. And that's what they have continually. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. That's us. The Lord will hear when I call, right? Tremble and sin not, commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. When we, there is a time for us to speak and we have the opportunity to speak before God. The very, very important thing to remember is when we speak, we need to speak with wisdom. And we'll read more about that later. We need to speak with wisdom. But we need to consider ourselves, as it says here in verse four, commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. Again, quick to hear, slow to speak. So we need to consider ourselves and commune upon our own hearts and think about some of these things we need to be doing. Let's go back to Colossians, the fourth chapter. Because again, we want our minds to be up on what the message that God wants to be giving us. What we need to be understanding and learning. We want to be slow then. To speak. So Colossians four, and we're going to just verse six. It says here, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each one. Boy, this is challenging, isn't it? When we do open our mouths and we have an opportunity to speak, we really have to consider what we're saying. And I like to say, is what we say, is there value to it? Is there value to the things we say? Does it edify? Does it build up? And what we say, is it in accordance to God's word and what he says? But it should always be with grace. It should always be seasoned like salt. It adds something that's needed. But we practice this and we're patient with it. We can learn how to consider this. And how to properly answer when we get a chance to answer. I want to turn back down to Proverbs, the 16th chapter, if you'll turn back there with me, Proverbs 16. And being slow to anger, we'll talk a couple of scriptures about this, but being slow to anger is a quality we need to have also. That is being able to control yourself. And it really takes a lot of work sometimes to do that. But let's see what's said here back in Proverbs 16, or I'm sorry, Proverbs 14. We'll start in 14 first, in verse 29. It says, he who is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exalts falling. You see this tying together, don't you? If we're considering God's word. If we're quick to hear, quick to get understanding, quick to think through things, and what we should be doing. Slow, slowing, being slow to speak, being slow to answer. Wanting to answer with wisdom. This helps us then to have better understanding. It's showing us right here that if we are slow to wrath, if we're slow to anger, it's showing that we've got understanding. And we've got knowledge. But it shows here too, those who are hasty to get upset, to lose control of their emotions, to get angry, they're not in control of themselves. They lack a good sense or good understanding. We see this brought out here too in Proverbs 16, verse 32. It says, he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he who rules his spirit better than he who takes the city. Isn't that something? Think about there have been down through time, a lot of mighty men and those who maybe are able to take cities through wrath, through what they were physically able to do. But more important thing here is those who can't control their anger and are slow to anger, right? They're better than those that have the ability through wrath to do what they can do. So it's very important for us to think about this, the quality of being slow to anger, controlling our emotions. Because if we don't, we know it can lead us to things we shouldn't be doing. And haven't you had a time, and I know I have in my life a lot, where I was quick to get angry and get upset about something and then said something that maybe didn't need to be said or did something I didn't need to do. And then later on, you wind up regretting, right? And repenting of it. And maybe sometime having to go to someone and reconcile because you lost control of your anger, right? So we don't want to be doing that. We've got some examples in God's word of those who didn't follow this. And because of this, it led to sin or it led to correction. Let's go back to Genesis 4, Genesis the fourth chapter, and we'll read about Cain and Abel. Genesis 4, in verse 3, it says, It came to pass that Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it. And the Lord had regard of Abel and his offering. We don't know all the details here, but however Abel did this, brought this offering to God, it was acceptable to God. And God looked upon it and had regard for it. He's a hard-knowing God. So this was done in a right way, whatever Abel did here. But in verse 5, we see, But he did not have regard unto Cain in his offering. It says, And Cain was extremely angry and his countenance fell. So whatever Cain did there, whatever his attitude was, as he brought that offering to God, it wasn't right. We can pick that up here because God didn't have regard for it. And Cain found this out and he got angry. He got angry about this and his countenance fell. What could he have done? He could have listened to what God had to say. And the reason why God didn't have regard for it, and he had a heart that wanted to hear, have a mind that wanted to be slow to speak, have a mind that wanted to be slow to anger, because he wanted to regard what God had to say to him. But was this the case with Cain? But was this the case with Cain? We know it wasn't. We'll go ahead and finish out here. And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you so angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you and you must roll over it. And that's part of what we're talking about here today, being able to rule ourselves and control ourselves. And being hopefully able to thwart all sin. Now, in verse 8, it says, Cain talked with his brother Abel. Here, another opportunity maybe to get with his brother and talk about some of these things that happened. We, again, the conversation isn't brought out here, exactly what words were said, but we saw, we see the outcome again of what happened. And it came to pass when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother, Abel, and killed him. So whatever the conversation was like, or whatever it led to, Cain lost control again of his emotions and he killed his brother. And the Lord said to Cain, Why is your brother, where is your brother Abel? And he said, I do not know, am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground. So this is an example, just how if Cain could have listened and considered what God was trying to give him and let him have that understanding, he could have repented. He could have come to God with an acceptable offering that God would have regard for and learn and grow and develop from that. But he chose a different way than that. So we got to be mindful ourselves at times when we run into difficulties and trials and problems. And we'll talk about that in a little bit, that we react in the right way. Let's go back to Matthew 16. We're going to go to verse 21 here, Matthew 16. And Jesus here was with his disciples, the apostles. In verse 21, it says, from that time, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be killed and to be raised the third day. So here was an explanation Christ was starting to give about what was getting ready to occur in his life. You know, why Christ was here upon earth and what his purpose was. And he was explaining more and more all the time. Now, the disciples or the apostles, maybe not, they didn't understand completely everything going on. We knew they understand more later. But he was starting to explain these things to them. Let's go on to read Peter's reaction to what Christ said here. It says that after taking him aside, Peter personally began to rebuke him, saying, God will be favorable to you, Lord, in no way shall this happen to you. Then he turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me because your thoughts are not in accord with the things of God, but the things of men. So, again, this is a written for us. It's good for us to think about our thoughts in accordance with the thoughts of God. Peter, he was, again, he wasn't really quick to hear. Here was he. But he was very quick to speak. He was very quick to wrath or let his emotions get the best of him when he told Christ, no, this won't happen to you, you know. But he wasn't considering, again, what was being said and thinking through things. And this is good for us to think about as we read God's word and steady and God works with us is trying to understand what God is trying to tell us and get through to us and take that in. Continually examining ourselves. What we're talking about here, isn't this a quality of God and Jesus Christ? Being quick to hear. Aren't we so glad they're quick to hear us and we can approach them anytime and they listen. They listen to our prayers and our meditation and our thoughts. Isn't it nice to know that when God speaks to us, he speaks to us right now, he speaks to us in the future. He speaks to us in the future. He speaks to us righteously through righteousness. He speaks to us through love. When he does speak to us and that God's slow to anger, right? God's not quick to anger, he's slow to anger. He's very merciful. So these are qualities of God and Jesus Christ. We do have tests and trials to come upon us, don't we? But a lot of times, tests and trials, these types of things, they reveal how we're doing. A lot of times, these are very personal for us, tests and trials we go through. And a lot of times, other people, and how we interact with other people, is a test to us in how we're doing. Peter says we shouldn't be surprised that things come upon us. Let's see what, let's just read exactly what Peter talks about here. And if you'll go with me to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4, in verse 11. He says, if anyone speaks, let it be as the words of God. And to be able to do this, we have to be standing and meditating constantly. And in prayer. To be able to have this mind of God and the mind of Christ to be able to speak their words. But it says, if anyone speaks, let it be as the words of God. And that's the goal. That's what we should strive for. It says, if anyone serves, let it be as from the strength which God supplies. So that in everything, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power unto the ages of eternity. Amen. So that's what we're always striving for. That whatever we do, that God and Jesus Christ are glorified through us. He goes on to say here, beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial among you, which is taking place to test you. As if some strange thing were happening to you. And so that's what we go through on this spiritual walk. There's trials that come along. And they're tests. They're tests for us to see where we're at. And we come through trials and we learn from trials. And a lot of times we can go back and think about trials we've been through. It may be great ourselves. How well did we do? Right. But trials are there for tests that we can learn and grow and develop. Let's go back to Job, because we know Job went through a very hard trial. Let's go back and read what Job said. In Job 42, verse 1. He says, And Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no thought can be withheld from you. And that's something we need to all keep in mind at all times, that God's a hard-knowing God and he knows our thoughts from afar off. There's not a thought that can be withheld from him. Our lips before they move, whatever comes out of our mouths, he knows. He knows. You asked who is he who hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have spoken that which I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, yea, which I did not know. Here I beseech you and I will speak. You said, I will ask of you and you will declare to me. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you. Therefore, I bore myself and repent in dust and ashes. So Job went through a terrible trial. I think about what Job went through and I certainly don't want to go through that. I'm sure all of you don't want to go through such a hard trial that Job went through. I mean, this was recorded for us and Job will be in God's kingdom and there's much spoken about Job. But Job learned something here and we know through the process there, Job went through, it was hard on him. It was a hard trial. And you can say at times there through his trial, maybe he became to a point where he was quick to speak. And he maybe wasn't hearing the message he needed to hear and he probably got upset. But in the end, he learned. He reflected back and he learned a lot from this. And that's how we should be too. We should reflect on our trials that we go through and strive to listen and understand what God's trying to teach us and tell us. We need to learn about ourselves, who we are and what our hearts and minds are really upon. And it's a blessing to go through trials. I know they're difficult when we go through them, but in the end, it strengthens our faith. And we are being more developed to be like God and Christ at the end of trials. So we can look back on ourselves and what we went through and hopefully be encouraged by that, that we are better than we were in our conversion. I wanna spend a few minutes here reading through some Proverbs to talk about James' instruction to us and if you want, let's turn back to Proverbs 17. Proverbs 17 verses 27, it says, He who has knowledge uses few words. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool when he is silent is counted wise. And he who shuts his lips is counted as a man of understanding. There is wisdom and knowledge in using few words because that knowledge and that wisdom is shown because the words you do say, they're again, as we said earlier, they're adding value. They're not idle words, but they're valuable words and they're important words and they're spoken as if they're words of God. So there is wisdom in using few words and very much considering what you're saying. Let's go down to Proverbs 18 and we're gonna read verses one and two. It says, He who isolates himself seeks his own desire. So maybe look at this a couple of ways. A person who wants to isolate himself and be away from people and be in isolation, having their minds on themselves and their own desires or maybe within our minds, we isolate ourselves and put ourselves in a different category. He rails against all sound wisdom. The person that's like this. A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that the heart may discover itself. So this is a person that's seeking their own desires, that's seeking self. There are a lot of ways a person like this is just interested in what they have to say. Have you ever been around someone like that that you're in a conversation with? And as you're speaking, you can just tell they're really not engaged in what you're saying. They're isolated. Their minds are on themselves or in some ways almost self-righteous. But they don't really listen or care what you have to say, but you can tell that they're just ready to reply back with what's on their mind to say, but we shouldn't be this way. We shouldn't be this. While we're in chapter 18, let's go down to verse 13. It says, He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is a folly and it's a shame to him. Again, a folly, it's a lack of good sense. If you're answering matters, you're quick to speak, right? Before you hear it, it's foolishness. So we need to, again, not be quick to speak, but we want to be those who are quick to hear and listen to what others have to say. Because again, our relationship with others is so important and we want to value what people have to say in conversing with us. Let's go to Proverbs now, the 29th chapter. Proverbs 29, and we're going to read verse 20. It says, Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. So again, being quick to speak, being hasty in our words, it can really cause us a problem. I know there's a times that we've heard spoken of some that they have the gift of gab. And a lot of people, and I've been around people like this, I'm sure you have too, that they continually talk and they talk. In some ways, that may not be a gift. Maybe a better gift is the gift to be slow to speak, right? And remembering what you do speak, it needs to add value. I'll say this, you're best leaders. And I don't care if they're within organizations, if they're within families or within the church. Your best leaders are the ones who are good at hearing, good at listening to what others have to say and trying to understand that. That's your best leaders. Your best leaders aren't the ones that are quick to hear, sorry, quick to speak, but quick to listen. As we approach, we know the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, these things that James is teaching us that we need to be, be focused on the righteousness of God. As we approach the Spring Holy Days, it is a time for us to be this way. Wanting to hear, not wanting to speak, but wanting to hear, wanting to understand. What God has to say to us, because there is much to be learned from the keeping of the Passover and the Spring Holy Days every year. And brother, don't we get a better and clearer understanding every year as we keep the Holy Days of God's plan and purpose for us and for mankind? And the answer is yes. Every year we should have a better understanding and a clearer picture. And we should have a better understanding and a clearer picture. Let's go back to Psalm 95. Psalm 95 in verse 6, it says, Oh, come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. And that's how we are. We are to go into the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. We come kneeling before God. We come to worship God as we keep these days, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture. Are we not? Is that who we are? And the sheep of his hand. Today, if you would not hearken to his voice, if you would but hearken to his voice, harden not your heart as in the rebellion, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted me, tried me and saw my work. For 40 years, I was grieved with that generation and said it is the people who go astray in their hearts and they have not known my ways to show to whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. So that's not who we should be as we approach the spring holidays. We should be those who have a circumcised heart and have a softened heart and are willing and wanting to hear and hearken and to consider what's being told to us and taught to us and what we're living. Let's go also to Ecclesiastes the fifth chapter. Ecclesiastes five. We're going to read verses one and two. It says here, guard your steps when you go to the house of God and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools. We've talked a lot of that through the scriptures in the message here, haven't we? The sacrifice of fools, what is that? For they do not know that they are doing evil. So again, God's saying here is a point of important message from us continually, but especially as we approach the Passover, the days of leavened bread, we need to be guarding our steps when we come before God and we come into the house of God. We need to be ready to hear. Not a time to speak. It's time to hear. It's time to understand the message God has for us. Verse two, it says, do not be rash with your mouth and do not let your heart be hasty to say a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. A lot here for us to consider, brother, as we approach God and Jesus Christ and love them and honor them and glorify them and who we are. Brother, will this conclude here that we need to again, consider ourselves. We need to examine ourselves continually as we stand before God and Jesus Christ. So let's just remember the message here that came through James. That's really important that we can, we're quick to hear. We're quick to hear what God says and we want to hear. We want to hear about Christ. We don't want to be dull in our hearing. We want more understanding. We want to be slow to speak. We want to add value. We want the words to come out of our mouth be the words of God. And we want to be slow to anger. Brethren, we want to be slow to anger. We want to be in control of our emotions, right? And who we are. So let's remember this admonishment from James. And I'll just end by wishing everyone a very profitable and meaningful Passover and Days Unleavened Bread.