Passing the Hearing Test

1. Passing the Hearing Test James 1:19-25

2. Not a rhetorical question! How many of you … ?

3. Listening vs. Talking (1:19) • There’s more wisdom in listening than talking • OT warns against hasty speech • “Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt” • “People who fly into a rage always make a crash landing”

4. Moral filth (1:20-21) • How would you define moral filth? • James throws rash and angry words in with moral filth! • The gospel calls us to humility by recognizing that God saved us when he didn’t have to • The implanted word is the gospel itself

5. Mirror Mirror … (1:22-25) • Listening only profits if the message is put into action • Mirrors are meant to reveal our flaws so we can fix them, not ignore them • The law of liberty, or the gospel, is meant to permeate to the core of our being, not just our ears • The gospel not only saves, but it teaches us how to behave as saved people • The gospel isn’t meant to be studied as much as it is applied

6. Applying the Gospel • Applying the gospel to our speech is one of the toughest battles we face as Christians • How we talk to one another illustrates whether or not the gospel has truly been implanted within us • There are those who deceive themselves into thinking they are saved because they have heard the gracious words of salvation, been baptized, and yet verbally abuse others on a daily basis • Grace requires an active response and that response begins with our words

7. Take note of this …