Holes in The Fence
James 1:18-21

Good evening.

INTRO: I am taking this lesson from the book of James. I find as I read and study James that there are many ways I am challenged.

Before we begin let me tell you about a serviceman who once wrote about a moment of comedy that happened when he was in the army. It happened during a company inspection. The inspection was being conducted by a sergeant major. This was very serious. Everything had gone smoothly until the officer came to a certain soldier, looked him up and down and snapped, "Button that pocket, soldier!" The soldier, more than a little rattled, stammered, "Right now, sir?" "Of course, right now!" was the reply. So the soldier very carefully reached out and buttoned the flap on the sergeant major’s shirt pocket.

You see the sergeant major had been quick to note the soldier’s problem with his uniform, but hadn't noticed his own. That’s a lesson we all need to think about because for some reason, the faults of others seem to stick out like a missing tooth, while our own faults are often hard to spot.

What James is going to share with us today, are three areas which seem to stick out in most Christians, especially for young Christians in regards to the trials which we face. As we go through today’s sermon, as we do all sermons, keep in mind that we need to apply what we learn to ourselves first. We need to apply it to ourselves. After all I have already stepped on my own toes in studying to write this.

I. James says in James 1:19-20 – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” I want to focus our lesson on these few verses today. James says when it comes to our trials; the first thing we need to remember is, "be quick to listen." Let’s back up one verse now.
A. James tells us in James 1:18 – “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” What he’s going to tell us next in James 1:21 is; “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Why we’re looking back and looking forward is to keep things in context.
B. James is saying to us today when he writes; that Christians are to be quick to listen. He is talking about being open to the word of God. That’s what he’s talking about. Have you every noticed what young Christians tend to do when they begin to face any trial? They stop reading the Word of God. A mature Christian will always go to the Word of God for help, for encouragement, and for comfort. Because the mature Christian understands that God’s word will help them.
C. Someone once said, some Bible verses are like lanterns, they were made for dark places and dark hours.
D. It’s a bit like the little girl and her mom who were going on a journey by train many years ago from St. Louis to California. She couldn't understand why the porter was going through the car lighting the lamps. She said, "Mother, it is the middle of the day and the sun is shining.” “Why is he turning on those lights?" The mother smiled, and said, "Wait a bit and you'll see what the lights are for." A few moments later the train plunged into a long, dark tunnel, and then the little girl saw the wisdom of the turning on the lamps.
E. Why did I share that with you? When we read our Bibles, it seems that it contains thousands of verses that seem very ordinary and often we wonder if they are necessary. There are times when we can't see why God has gone to all the trouble of lighting those lamps of truth in His word.
1. Folks, when we have overwhelming trouble come into our lives it is all consuming, takes all our focus and it seems like we too enter a tunnel. Some day when you're going into the tunnel of bereavement, or the tunnel of temptation, or the tunnel of suffering, that’s when you will find value and appreciate the verses that appear to be very ordinary and unnecessary. In other words when we are facing trials we need to be "quick to listen" to what God says to us in His word. James says -- when we’re struggling as Christians, especially in times of trials; it’s then that we need the Word of God most of all in our lives.
2. As you read you may find suddenly that some of those ordinary lamps that have been lit in God’s word are illuminating what you are currently studying. As they say “the light goes on” in your mind and you more fully understand what is being said, you gain a bit more understanding and you find joy in the knowledge of God you have gained.
F. In other words, we need to humbly and calmly be open to what the Word of God has to say to us, because only by reading the Word can we know that God cares for us. Here’s a question. Do we believe that? Do we believe that God wants to help us through life, through trails?
1. Isaiah 43:2 is one of those wonderful little lights. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” Paraphrased - “When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.”
2. That’s one of those verses that you read time and time again and wonder what’s the point of it being there until something happens in your life. Peter basically says the same thing over in 2 Peter 2:9 – “… the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,” God is in the business of rescuing people. That’s why He sent His son Jesus in the first place.
II. God wants to help us, but for us to receive that help we need to keep on reading His word. The immature Christian, when they are facing trials, not only stop reading God’s word; they usually start staying away from the worship assembly as well.
A. The mature Christian can’t wait to come to worship. Why? Because they know and they understand, that they can get help, encouragement and comfort to get them through those trials. We get that help during our studies and worship. In fact, that’s one the preacher’s jobs, isn’t it? Is it not the preachers’ job to provide those things? Absolutely. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:3 – and I paraphrase; “Those who proclaim God's message speak to people and give them help, encouragement, and comfort.”
B. I pray that that applies here. I hope that we each receive, help, encouragement and comfort through the preaching and teaching which happens here, especially if you’re going through some sort of trial in your life. One of the things we can do that that will help us grow up into spiritually mature Christians when we are facing trials, is to keep on listening to what God has to say to us through His Word.
III. The second thing that we need to learn to help us grow through our trials; is we need to be "slow to speak." There are a couple of ancient sayings I found on Google which I would like to share with you because I believe we can learn from them.
A. One ancient saying says, “Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak.” How true is that? I fully understand that two ears like two eyes help us perceive depth and direction. But the saying has its point. Another ancient saying says, “The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.” I like that one.
B. You see, as a Christian matures through trials, they learn things. One of the things they learn is the ability to know when to speak. I’m pretty sure we all know spiritually mature Christians, even within our own number. One thing I try to learn from them is just how much they speak, and I try to learn just how much they don’t speak.
C. When I was a young Christian and I was going through trials I didn’t need to have someone come up to me and give me book, chapter and verse in the Bible which applied to the trials I was going through. I didn’t always need to hear a full-blown sermon from one question; there are times when just a few words are all that are needed.
1. Perhaps some of you have been blessed to know someone who is a godly Christian not just because of their example of Christ likeness, not just because of their knowledge of the Bible but because they are a person of few words. The few words they do speak carry with them so much wisdom and understanding.
2. These Christians never have a lot to say but when they do speak, their words are always helpful. Their words are encouraging and comforting. I try to learn from that. Sometimes I feel like I speak too much. My point is that for us to help each other grow up spiritually through our trials there are times we all need to listen more and speak less. Because let me tell you, folks, there are some Christians who believe they know it all.
3. Just like our children who think they know the answer to every single question. Some Christians are like those children. I might call them “teen age Christians”. They think they have the answer to absolutely everything, and they can’t stop talking. They have to tell you their opinion on everything; they quote book chapter and verse to impress everyone with their knowledge.
4. Some times the young Christian who is suffering just needs someone to listen. James says a mature Christian is a Christian who is quick to listen to what God has to say and is slow to speak.
IV. That brings me to the third and final thing that we Christians need to do to grow through our trials, we all need to be slow to become angry. I’m going to focus the rest of our lesson today on this little thought here. You see the word ‘wrath’ is closely related to the word ‘anger.’ The Greek word for ‘anger’ is the ‘Orge’ which means a lingering, seething emotion, violent passion. It’s like something waiting, troubling inside you ready to take revenge at any moment, any chance, any opportunity. Whereas the Greek word for ‘wrath’ is the word "thumos." That’s and interesting word because it is the idea of ‘breathe violently’, ‘blowing off steam’, ‘fury’. You’re ready to explode.
A. The reason this verse is important for us to understand is because too many times when we talk about ‘wrath’ or ‘anger’ we often seem to excuse them. I just got a little angry. That sort of thing. What we really need to understand is that the Bible has a lot to say about both.
B. For example, the Old Testament says in Psalm 37:8 – “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret it only causes harm.” You see in this the idea of “bubbling up” and “blowing off steam”. The Book of Proverbs says in Proverbs 14:17 – “He who is quick-tempered acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated.” “People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm.” In the Book of Ecclesiastes, it says in Ecclesiastes 7:9 – “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.” “Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge.”
C. In the New Testament Paul says to the church in Rome in Romans 12:19 – “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,'' says the Lord.” To the Ephesians Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” To the Colossians he writes in Colossians 3:8 – “But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”
V. Here then is the problem for the immature Christian. Every time the immature Christian gets angry they tend to do several things. First of all they beat themselves up believing they have sinned against God for being angry. The question is, what is the difference between anger and anger? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? It’s a lot more serious than we give it credit for. Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 – “"Be angry, and do not sin'': do not let the sun go down on your wrath,” Paul is saying; if you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin. Then he tells you to rid yourself of that anger. Paul doesn’t seem to have a problem with a Christian becoming angry. He says, “If you become angry.”
A. Folks, immature Christians when they are facing trials they get angry not only with God but with everyone else around them at times. They often say something like ‘well, Jesus got angry, I’m just following His example’. When people get angry they quote Jesus expressing anger towards the money changers in the temple as John tells us in John 2:13-17 and they say, ‘you see Jesus expressed anger. Look what He did.’
B. Other places people go when trying to excuse their anger are passages like Psalm 78:49-51 where the Psalmist writes, “He caused them great distress by pouring out his anger and fierce rage, which came as messengers of death. He did not restrain his anger or spare their lives, but killed them with a plague. He killed the first-born sons of all the families of Egypt.” [para] People who get angry will go here and say, “God got angry. He didn’t restrain it.”
C. And they will look for support of their anger in passages like Romans 1:18 where Paul writes, “God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known.” [para] My point is this; we need to understand the difference between anger and anger.
D. How do we do that? How do we reconcile those passages which demand that anger and wrath are sinful and something to be put away, with those passages that speak of anger on the part of God, anger on the part of Christ and anger on the part of even the Christian?
VI. I would say the first thing we need to understand that God's anger is always, always a just reaction to evil. Remember God is divine and all-knowing, His wrath is never misguided.
A. In other words He is more than capable of directing anger and wrath in the right direction. Whereas we, with our imperfections, are not so capable to do that. In our anger we’re often misguided. Sometimes it is through ignorance or sometimes it’s through misunderstanding. I guarantee you right now that I have been angry over something, and later regretted my anger. Sometimes it was when I realized I was wrong and sometimes when I realized my anger caused me to do or say something wrong. I strongly suspect many of us have had that sort of experience.
B. Just because God may display wrath and anger, this does not necessarily justify us to do the same. Whatever is said of God could also be said of Christ. Especially in light of what we read in John 2:24-25 – “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
C. Jesus could read the hearts of men and with such divine knowledge; He could not mistakenly direct wrath and anger. If you ever take the time to read about those incidents when Jesus was angry you will find that His anger wasn’t for His own self-interests.
1. His anger was always holy anger against unrighteousness which is detestable to God. When Jesus was angry, He was angry only for God’s honor. When He was personally attacked, He said nothing. 1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth''; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;” Jesus, when He was personally insulted and attacked, said nothing.
2. Jesus said nothing, it wasn’t until someone acted against God, then He displayed "righteous anger." That’s where we all seem to miss. That’s because we use anger improperly. You see, were supposed to be like Jesus and follow His example. It never ceases to amaze me how often we get angry when someone personally offends us but we quite happily remain silent when sin is exalted and God is dishonored.
D. We often try to justify our actions by saying its “righteous anger” when in fact it self-righteous anger. That’s what it is. Notice James doesn’t say a Christian doesn’t get angry, he says a Christian should be slow to anger. In other words anger itself is not the problem but the way we deal with the emotion of anger might lead to a problem.
VII. To help us to grow up through our trials into spiritual maturity we need to understand what the difference is between anger and anger. Let’s go back to Ephesians 4:26 – “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day”. [para] To understand this verse we need to apply the first rule of study and keep the verse in its context.
A. In doing that we note that Paul writes just a few verses later in Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” James and Paul are saying to us is rather than trying to justify our anger, we should be looking at how to deal with it when it arises in our hearts. That’s the point of carrying our cross. James says we should be slow to anger and Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 - “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin.” Do you see what they’re saying?
B. What they are saying is that the emotion of anger needs to be kept under control. It needs to be kept under control. In other words don't allow it to show itself in a sinful way, like doing or saying something that is wrong, that is hurtful. You know, folks, I’m sure we have all had times in our lives when people have said and done pretty hurtful things to us.
C. I’m also sure that since we became Christians, other Christians have said and done some really hurtful things to us and we really wanted to blow off some steam. You see, an immature Christian will often blow off steam because they don’t understand the nature of anger and where it leads to.
D. The mature Christian has learned to control that anger and the mature Christian knows that it needs to be dealt with very quickly. That’s why Paul goes on in Ephesians 4:26 and says, “If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day”. Other translations say, "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath."
E. Have you ever wondered why we need to get rid of that anger so quickly? Have you ever wondered that? Paul tells us why in the very next verse, Ephesians 4:27 - “Don't give the Devil a chance”. You see a mature Christian understands what happens if you don’t deal with that anger quickly and properly. If that anger sits in you it will continue to cause you trouble. It will damage you in ways you can not imagine and give the devil leverage in your life.
F. Let me tell you a story of a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father, who was really proud of him, suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence and said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. That fence will never be the same.’
G. You see, folks, when we say or do things in anger; those actions can leave a hole. If you put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, that wound is still there. As someone once said, 'A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.’

CLOSE:
A mature Christian knows and understands the damage anger can do. They know that the devil will have a field day with that anger and they know that the devil will use that anger to create division among brothers and sisters and even in whole congregations.

Folks, we need to take James’ advice, to be slow to anger. Why? Because while the "wrath and anger of God" accomplishes the "righteousness of God”. But for us, James warns us in James 1:20 “Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.”[para]

You see, folks, there is a place for anger in our lives, but only if it’s going to lead to the honor and will of God and that’s where we fail the test. Now, to finish. How many holes have we left in the fence with our anger? How many people have we scared with words and deeds which we should have controlled? And that includes what we do to ourselves by the way. If we want to grow up into spiritually mature Christians, we need to be able to control that anger when it comes along. The way we can help ourselves, the way we can help each other, to control that anger -- is simply by applying the first two warnings of James, be quick to listen to what God has to say and be slow to speak.
# 640
Taken from sermon by Mike Glover