 All right, here we are James chapter 1 We'll begin reading together at verse 19. I'll read to verse 27 I'll take the whole portion of scripture together that we'll be looking at and Then I'm going to take it apart as I normally do by going back to a couple of the verses We've already looked at the lay of foundation and then to move into our study. So beginning at verse 19 reading to verse 27 James chapter 1 James writes So then 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 therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls But be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer He's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror for he observes himself goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man He was but he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer But a doer of that work This one will be blessed in what he does if any if anyone among you thinks he's religious and Does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart this one's religion is useless Pure and undefiled religion before God and the father is this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world and So as we're going through this let me lay a foundation by reminding you of a couple things James had just said that every good and every perfect gift came down from the father He said that in verse 17. He said every good and every perfect gift is from above comes down from the father of lights With whom there is no variation or shadow of turning So he had just said that every good and every perfect gift comes from God Now included in these good and perfect gifts is the gift of eternal life The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith and that out of Yourself's it is the gift of God salvation is the gift of God and so God has determined of his own will To save us God determined to do that by himself Nobody convinced him that sinful people should be saved and we certainly don't deserve to be saved Salvation is something that completely originated with him and the Bible tells us that in John chapter 1 verses 12 and 13 As many as received him to them He gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name who were born not of blood Nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. So salvation originates with God It was his pre-plan it was his Determination to do that and he chose to do he planned to do this by sending a son Jesus Christ Who took upon himself the sin of the world he became that perfect sacrifice? He's the one who made atonement for us. He satisfied God's Wrath over sin in all he took it upon himself And he was manifested according to 1st John 3 verse 5 to take away our sins and in him There is no sin so God determined to save us he saves us by the sending of his son Jesus Christ and He uses the gospel to bring about our transformation Verse 18 says he of his own will brought us forth by the word of truth So he used the gospel the word of truth in order that we might be born again when he says he brought us forth That's a word that means that he gave us new birth And he made it possible for us to have new birth by the gospel the word of truth Now when you read your Bible, you're gonna see that the word of truth speaks of the gospel in Ephesians chapter 1 For example verse 13. It says in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth The word of truth is the gospel. He said the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise To Timothy and 2nd Timothy 2 verse 15. He said it like this He said be diligent present yourselves approved to God a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth and So the word of truth that saves us is also called the gospel and so we got saved by Depositing our faith in Christ Jesus who was revealed to us in a message called the good news are the gospel of Jesus Christ And that's how we were born again in first Peter 1 23 It says having been born again not of corruptible seed But incorruptible through the word of God which lives and abides forever So we were not saved by worse of righteousness that we did It's through the grace of God salvation was provided and the message of salvation is found in the gospel Which is also called the word of truth and there was a purpose in that we saw this in verse 18 last time We're together and that is that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creation so God brings us through a variety of trials and We endure various temptations Even though we've been born again God will bring us through these trials and the enemy will tempt us But this is intended to perform a work in us Because we need to remember that in the midst of these trials and he's been speaking of trials in the midst of these trials We can have various responses He'd already said in verse 13 of chapter 1 let no one say when he's tempted. I'm tempted by God For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he himself tempt anyone we can have various responses And this is what James is about to address to the the trials that we find ourselves in and Through the enduring of the temptations that the enemy places before us We can become angry. We can become frustrated. We can start to blame God for these things We might even be attracted to the temptations and even give in to them So James is instructed in us. How do you deal with these things when you encounter them? Well, he begins by telling us in verse 19 let every man be swift to hear Slow to speak and slow to route So he's saying this is how you deal with them be swift to hear now be swift to hear what? What is it? I'm supposed to listen to he says therefore be swift to hear swift to hear what he's all swift to hear good council Swift to hear solid teaching on how to deal with the trials that you're going through You see a lot of people will not listen to advice in Proverbs 12 15 It says the way of a fool is writing his own eyes But a wise man listens to advice. Well, they're quite a number of people who are not Swift to hear they're not willing to receive counsel. They're they're not able to be Not only confronted, but even comforted because what they're doing is fine with them But the Proverbs tells us in chapter 19 verse 20 listen to advice and accept instruction That you may gain wisdom in the future It's especially important that we should be swift to hear the word of truth and When we receive counsel, it's always best if that counsel is In Scripture is found in Scripture in Psalm 119. There's a fly here that I'm gonna grab if I can Please don't be distracted. I'm gonna pull out my sword and Take his wings off Psalm 119 133 says direct direct my steps by your word Let no iniquity have dominion over me Counsel is important to receive especially if it's scriptural He's right here if I kill him, please don't be mad at me in Psalm 1 verses 1 through 3. Let me develop this with you The Psalm is in Psalm 1 verses 1 through 3 gives us counsel that I think is really important for us to listen to in Psalm 1 he says it like this verse 1 through 3 blessed is a man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked Nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law. He meditates day and night He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither In all that he does he prospers Again, it is not wise to receive counsel from those who don't know the Lord and The psalmist actually says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked Be very careful who you allow to give you counsel be very careful who you go to for advice There's so many methods in social media today to you put out your problem And before you know it you'll get a ton of people writing giving you advice, you know I'll look at Facebook. I use it for ministry and I'll look at it You can see it in the other forms of social media and somebody will say something and before you know it you've got 14 15 responses of people giving advice and Sometimes the advice that's being given is just unwise and yet people feel so free to give advice And so the psalmist says be very careful that you don't walk in the counsel of the wicked That you don't stand in the way of sinners and nor do you sit in the seat of scoffers He says his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law He meditates meditates day and night so when you receive counsel be careful not to receive advice From those who don't love the Lord and don't care that much about you In times of trial very often the godly disciplines we've cultivated begin to be neglected Under pressure we can become sidetracked and when we become sidetracked we begin to lose focus and That can lead to us drifting away from the Lord He can also begin a backslide and the fruit that results from backsliding will be reaping But a person is sown In Proverbs 14 verse 14 it says the backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways But a good man will be satisfied from above so be very careful That you stay close to the word of God So be swift to hear be swift to hear what the Lord has to say Be swift to hear when you're reading the word. I pray you read your Bibles every day that you pick it up and go through it There are various programs you can you can actually be involved in that that reading certain passages certain amount of chapters in a day You can read the whole Bible in a year a lot of people say I don't like to read the Bible Well, the problem with that is you're getting your advice from the world You need to pick it up and read it if you can't read very well, or perhaps you can't read at all There are there are different things you can get the Bible read you can have the Bible read to you various CDs and and and and things like that But you need to be in the word of God and you need to be swift to hear what God has to say Listen, you've received God's gift of life. You've received his word James would be saying so be swift to hear it be quick to receive his instruction be quick to hear his counsel and Correction that comes to the Bible If you're going through trials if you're going through temptations be quick to hear what God is saying and instead of blaming Open your ears and your heart and listen to what he has to say Listen to the instructions you find in the word of truth and practice them and and this is going to come again Through being taught by your personal Bible reading and praying for wisdom remember in verse 5 of chapter 1 here He said if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach It will be given to him But you'll receive this from the Lord and it should be a daily habit a daily habit of fellowship with the Lord in Word and in prayer like it says in Psalm 25 verse 4 show me your ways oh Lord teach me your paths So be quick to hear then he says be slow to speak Now that's important because when we're in a trial it's easy to speak without thinking Sometimes we may receive counsel that we disagree with in our response Especially when we're under pressure maybe to become angry and we may lash out at the one who's speaking to us We need to be slow to speak against what we hear we need to listen and consider what is being said One of the things over time I've learned to do and I encourage you to do the same if you haven't already is I've learned to Listen before I make my judgments when I was younger if you said something to me I didn't agree with I I was prone to want to argue immediately. I wouldn't even listen to you I wouldn't even weigh out what you were saying. I would just think what do you know? Who are you? You know and that was my attitude for the first few years of my Christian walk Because I came out of the world and in the world you argue and there's nothing wrong with it And that's what I did and then I got married and I learned to shut up What I actually had to learn is to listen you have to listen not because you're afraid by the way Because I wasn't afraid Not that for it not that afraid But because I want to have an ear to hear what the spirit is saying And I came to realize that this is some practical advice that I'm giving to you about being quick to hear I Came to realize something that I didn't realize and this is practical. Hope it works for you. I Came to realize in my case when my wife had a correction to bring to me. She is doing it because she loved me my First response for many of the early years was she's trying to dominate me and I Just didn't have the I'm not that kind of man that you can dominate. I'm just not Didn't like it. Don't like it So don't don't don't don't don't tell me what to do was my attitude Don't tell me what to do. I'll do what I want to do if you don't like it. It's too bad That was my attitude None of you guys are like that I realized that I'm just I'm just the center up here just being real But the Spirit of the Lord said to me she loves you She loves you How did the Spirit of the Lord say that to me? I was reading my Bible husbands Love your wife husbands, you know cover them with the word of God and prayer and this and I'm reading about husbands And I'm starting to see about wives and I'm realizing that she gave her fitting up to be married to me She didn't have to do that. She chose to do that. She did that because she loved me I came to realize that I actually came to accept her love because I wouldn't do it at first I was kind of like hands off and all of that in our early days And when I finally came to realize that this was a woman who loved me and the reason she would bring a word to me That sometimes I needed a correction is because she loved me and when I began to see that what I learned to do Is this I learned to listen and not to speak and I would walk out After she'd say whatever and it's always mild. It's not something heavy or whatever It was just like blah blah and I just I don't see that and I'd go and think about it And I'd pray about it and I think you know Lord, that's true I am that way and I have never seen that about myself But she sees it clearly as an outside person look at me and that's what I began to do But guess what James says be be slow to speak and be quick to hear and That's how that's how it works in a practical way and when when when I'm being convicted and Sometimes when the words being taught or whatever and I'm convicted I could quickly speak I don't agree with that. Well, what do you know about that? But that that's why you meditate on it. That's what you think about it. That's why you cross-reference the scripture That's why you get to know your Bibles so you can be able to do something like that and and you learn to consider what's being said you see today Christians speak loudly and quickly and Sometimes they're they're real quick to speak about what they're going through again Facebook All you got to do is open it up and people say I'm doing this and I'm going through that and they speak about it Everything and they think that all of these names on their friend lists are really friends and they're not I've got 5,000 10,000 actually people and the friends. They're not my friends What a friend is a friend is somebody you sit down have coffee with is a friend that you go on have a meal with a friend That you you talk about life with it You talk about family you talk about plans and things you take vacay those you're friends the people on Facebook I'm not saying they're bad people. Some of you may be my friends on Facebook. You're my connections You know, I'll talk to you and all but until we get to know each other on a face-to-face thing You wouldn't really say yeah, that's my buddy Dave. You wouldn't say that better not Because we're not friends That's just a word we throw around right? You're a real friend is somebody you know somebody spend time with somebody that you go out for meals with some That you share your heart with somebody that can correct you a real friend is somebody who puts his shoulder next to yours And you look in the same direction. That's a friend. You're moving together in the same direction, right? And so when you have a friend somebody who can speak to you and they share with you They're taking a chance of losing you and I had to learn that because my wife when she would speak to me had to learn how to address the issue that she had She wouldn't be unwise to just challenge me because I talk for a living And so I can argue and I can use scripture as I as I desire she had to learn how to lovingly correct me and James had to be believed by me So when he said for me be slow to speak and to be quick to hear that changed my life Because instead of always arguing my point. I had to learn that somebody else may have one that's just as valid or Will give to me insight that I'm not picking up on on my own and in the Christian life I simply need to be wise enough to receive correction and Education from a fellow believer. I don't want to be brainwashed or hoodwinked if you will by a non-believer So I'm careful to stay within scripture guidelines and to look for scriptural truth And to be careful that I'm not just spilling out my guts about things. I'm going through because today Complaining openly is often seen as being real being transparent Some people will say well, I just have to say what I'm feeling and if I'm feeling it Why shouldn't I say it? Well, remember Proverbs 29 11? I'll give you a moment to write this down Proverbs 29 11 a full vents all his feelings But a wise man holds them back That's good advice. Don't you think there have been a time when you opened your big mouth and wish you hadn't I Do every Sunday, you know It's just learning not to vent Constantly Listen to what scripture says about being slow to speak Proverbs 10 19 in the multitude of words there lacks not sin But he that refrains his lips is wise Proverbs 17 28 even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent and discerning if he holds his tongue Proverbs 21 23 whoever guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from troubles Somebody once said men have two ears But only one tongue that they should hear more than they speak So Psalm 141 3 says this said a guard. Oh Lord over my mouth Keep watch over the door of my lips And I and I will say this briefly and then move on It's a wise thing to learn this there are times that I'm having conversations with people and they're saying things that that really need Correction, but I wait and I hear them out I want to hear what they have to say and then I seek the Lord for ways to gently and lovingly Give a word of correction in that so that they might have what the biblical view would be and somebody says Well, what gives you the right to do that in the first place? Well, I'm a pastor That has something to do with it. I've been walking with the Lord almost 49 years. That has something to do with it I've been teaching the Bible for 46 years. That has something to do with it I figured that I've studied the word of God something like 48,000 hours over the course of my life That has something to do with it. I've taught over eight nine thousand Bible studies in my life I think that has something to do with it So if I share something with somebody it may be founded in experience in scripture There's a good chance that what I'll be sharing with you is found there But that doesn't mean that I have to just talk. I want to hear. I Want to hear what you're saying? I want to hear your heart and that's what you ought to do, too That's what James is teaching believers in general My beloved brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak and slow to wrath When undergoing a trial we can lash out in anger and reject reading the word of God and because of this We're not going to receive the comfort of the Lord because we quenches Holy Spirit in Proverbs 14 29 The writer said he was slow to wrath has great understanding But he who is impulsive exalts folly In Proverbs 16 32 he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit then he who takes a city It takes a calm spirit to receive and appreciate instruction and direction and anger has a way of quenching that spirit and provoking us to reject the comfort God has for us as a matter of fact Notice what he says in verse 20 the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God It's been said angry preachers and angry Christians are truly bad witnesses for Jesus Angry and vengeful people stir up strife and they destroy rather than bring in healing Proverbs 29 22 an angry man stirs up dissension a hot tempered one commits many sins And in our day this rings even more loudly. There's so many angry Christians They're afraid of what they're seeing take place and they're voicing their concerns with anger And for them it seems that all they see are problems and they don't see possibilities of what God can do So we need to be careful. We need to be careful that we listen and that we that we are slow to speak We're slow to get angry because the fact is angry people don't produce God's righteousness People don't get attracted to the God of mercy and love when his people are always mad at other people Well, it says in verse 21 lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness Receive with the meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls Now when he says lay aside the words lay aside means to willingly remove the word filthiness speaks of moral impurity The word wickedness speaks of depravity You say lay aside willingly remove this moral impurity in your depravity And that's something that is similar to what we saw in Colossians in chapter 3 when Paul spoke of the things that Identify the lives of unbelievers. He spoke of fornication and uncleanness. He spoke of passion and evil desire He spoke of covetousness and anger wrath malice blasphemy and filthy language. These are things to be laid aside So James is saying something similar. He says remove anything that keeps you from pursuing the Lord and Then he goes on in verse 21 and he says Receive with meekness the implanted the engrafted word which is able to save your souls It's like our hearts are soil and so we welcome God's word into our heart and God's word is the seed That we by faith receive with humility Now not all people are willing to receive the word of God into their hearts even in church services Bible studies can be given the word is rightly divided, but there's still a heart of rejection Don't want to hear it. I don't want to know that Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 10 says it like this to whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so that they cannot hear the word of the Lord is offensive to them They find no pleasure in it. There are quite a number of people who say oh, I want to serve the Lord But when God's word is given to them, they don't want to hear it My mother was sharing with me on one occasion My mom was quite the little evangelist He loved to share the love of Christ with people and she said that she was sharing with a woman about Jesus And and as she was sharing with this woman she said to the lady Would you like to receive Christ and the woman said of course I would and my mom said would you pray with me? And the woman said to my mother. Yeah, I'll pray with you So my mom began father forgive me a sinner and my mom said Dave She said the moment I said father forgive me a sinner that woman got upset. She said I'm not a sinner and There are quite a number of people who believe that they're really not that bad, right? Really not that bad. Well, Jeremiah said something about that To whom can I speak and give warning who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so that they cannot hear the word of the Lord is offensive to them They find no pleasure in it. You know this is true If you share the word with somebody who doesn't know Christ, they don't always just welcome it They don't always say all that's the greatest thing I've ever heard. You're right. I am a sinner now They don't they're gonna argue with you or get upset or get offended You know, maybe though they'll go to their safe space Get one of the little ponies and hold it. I don't know they get upset They don't want to hear they get mad because you offended them. How dare you say that to me in Romans 8 7 and 8 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It doesn't submit to God's law Nor can it do so. So then those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God See God's word is to be received with faith and humility. Why because he said it saves your soul receive Then grafted word of God, which is able to save you Jeremiah 31 33 said this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days says the Lord I will put my law in their minds write it on their hearts and I will be their God they shall be my people and So he says receive it. It's able to save you But he moves on into application verse 22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves Have a heart to receive have a heart to understand openly identify with God's word and obey him that Identifies you as a genuine Christian in first John 2 verse 3 by this We know that we know him if we keep his commandments So James is saying that it's not enough to simply agree with what we hear In order for us to understand and experience the presence of the Lord in his blessings We're not only to hear but we're also to do James says you can actually deceive yourself You can deceive yourself by thinking that all you need to do is listen but not act There are quite a number of people. I'm sad to say but it's true who are like that today quite a number in Matthew chapter 7 Why don't you turn with me? I have it here, but I'm gonna I'm gonna turn you there Let's turn our Bibles to Matthew chapter 7 Somebody says where is Matthew? He's in heaven, but his book is the first New Testament and Matthew chapter 7 I want to read to you. I had a verse. I was gonna quote, but I'm gonna read more Excuse me. We'll look at verse 21 and notice this please Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord Shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven Did you notice that not everyone who says but he who does Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in your name Cast out demons in your name done many wonders in your name and then I will declare to them I never knew you depart from me you who practice lawlessness Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock The rain descended the floods came the winds blew being on the house It didn't fall for it was founded on the rock But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them Will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended the floods came The winds blew beat on the house and it fell and great was its fall James back in James is saying don't be just hearers be doers of the word It's not enough that I'm able to repeat a scripture. I need to practice it I need to do what the scripture says and I can deceive myself by thinking that all I need to do is listen, but I shouldn't have to do anything He says to us in In Luke 6 46, why do you call me Lord Lord and do not do the things that I say? Why do you say that you're mine when in fact you don't obey me? You don't do what's being said I think if there's anything we need the church today needs to remember is that obedience is better than sacrifice That God wants us and said commanded us and he didn't give us the 10 suggestions He gave us the commandments because he intends for us to obey him And one of the ways that I demonstrate that I love him is through obedience. Jesus said if you love me keep my Commandments John and first John tells us that his commandments are not burdensome In other words for a believer to obey the things that God gives to us in his word gives us great pleasure and demonstrates that We love him instead of being thinking that that that God's word is is just ruining my day and ruining my fun I ought to see it as something that is saving me and and building my life up And he's making it very clear because back in James. He makes it clear in this way He says in verse 23 if anyone's a hear of the word and not a doer He's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. He observes himself goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man He was so this is a guy who's getting ready to go out He stands in front of a of a mirror if you will and he looks at himself walks out and within 10 minutes He's thinking oh did I shave? I wonder if is there anything on my tooth? You know, I They'll do that. He can we can do that you get ready, but your mind's on something else You're standing in front of the mirror you walk out of the room and you say did I put on my my pants? You ask yours You ask yourself these things. I've been driving so have you sometimes and I'll I'll pull up behind somebody There'd be a lady and she'll be putting her makeup on while she's driving and you'll see her pull her mirror down Like that. She's making sure her her makeup's on and I get a little nervous. I get nervous I get more nervous when it's a guy, but that's a different. That's a different subject But because our eyes are are not on the road But they're also gonna forget because they'll pull it down and look again pull it down look again That's what he's saying a person. He's not doing the word is constantly only glancing at it But not being changed by it. Nothing's changed. He says if anyone's a hear of the word and not a door He's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. He observes himself goes away immediately forgets what kind of man He was he's not actually seeing himself for who he is. See the word is a mirror It reveals to me who I actually am but if I only glance at it and don't really take a deep look in it There's no change is gonna take place But he says in verse 25 he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it is not a forgetful hear But a doer of the work this one will be blessed in what he does So when he says he who looks into it that word looks is a deep and attentive consideration That is given to something. It's not just a glance When you look into the perfect law of liberty, we understand that God's grace is revealed to us and we have freedom in him We're freed from guilt. We're freed from the power of sin We're freed from its control and this is a perfect law because it needs nothing added to make it complete Notice how he says and continues in it and it's not a forgetful hear it, but a doer of the work Nothing moves you away from the hope that's found in the gospel You're not carried away by bad doctrine. You stand fast in the faith. That's revealed in it You're not a forgetful hear you're a doer of the work in other words You serve the Lord and you're blessed you're not forgetful the word forgetful speaks of the one who studies and forgets What he studied doesn't grow. I wonder how many of you in school did what I did for a while in school, which is to cram The exams the next day, so you stay up late at night Preparing for it, but you're not learning anything. You're only preparing for the next day So I would take my test. I was with the hopes of passing it But I forgot everything because I was cramming I wasn't taking my time Then I discovered in classes if I actually took my time took my notes read the material Read the lectures that I had that I had been Transcribing spent time thinking it through I do good in my test, but that required a lot of work There are a lot of people who cram their spiritual life cram for a spiritual life They kind of hear a Bible said he wants they listen listen maybe listen to two studies in a row They're cramming, but they're not spending time in the word And so what we need to do is we need to understand that maturity comes through developing a habitual Practice in John 13 17 Jesus said it like this if you know these things blessed are you if you do them and Finally he goes on and he says in verse 26 if anyone among you thinks he's religious and doesn't pridel his tongue But deceives his own heart. This one's religion is useless Pure and undefiled religion before God and the father's this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world If anyone thinks he's religious that word religious is a word that actually speaks of trembling Fearing it speaks of a worshiper of God Somebody who's religious is Is known as a religious person because they pray or maybe they preach they give some other action? Religion itself is not being condemned. It's the hypocritical practice associated with it There are a lot of people who say you know religion religion and and my generation we began to say that I'm not religious. I'm a Christian Well, there is a there is a true religion and James points that out Pure and undefiled religion. There is such a thing and we need to remember that Jesus himself was a Lifetime observant Jew of his Jewish faith What Jesus condemned was hypocrisy the hypocrisy associated with outward Observation only and James is saying that authentic Christianity produces something it produces love It produces fellowship produces purity I'll take a moment to share something with you and develop this a little bit When your society that you live in is evil There will always be more laws passed to govern people the more the law The greater the awareness of evil. That's what laws are intended to do right laws are intended to stop evil and So the more the law The more evil that is in that society But laws do not transform hearts They can penalize behavior and I'll probably get in trouble for saying this this is in my notes You can't pass the law to make me love anybody. I think that the laws that are passed Anti-discrimination laws and all are intended to restrict evil behavior towards somebody But you cannot pass a law that makes me love somebody What you can pass a law is Pass in a law is something that penalizes me for violating with that law states now I think we all agree with that. That's what laws do if it says drive 55 and I go 65 I'm penalized because I broke the law if it says I cannot say a certain thing because it's a hateful thing I can be penalized because somebody determined what hate is and So I'm going to be penalized for certain things, but it can't change my heart You can pass a law if you'd like that tells me to love somebody I Don't have to love them. I and I'll probably not Your law told me to something else has to happen before I will do that which the law with good intent supposedly is Being passed for me. I'll give you another one. This will get somebody mad at least one of you so we see people being shot and Now we have people rushing to say Take all these weapons from people that'll stop them and that's just not true Because if you take somebody's gun Then he'll use a billy club If you take the club, he'll use a knife if you take away the knife, he'll use a rock That's what you do when murders in your heart is you find a way to kill. I'm not saying that's good By the way, I'm saying that is Because we have these laws that everybody's running and jumping on get rid of the you know AKs get rid of the AR's and these they're calling it assault weapons and this and that they're saying get rid of all of these things and And that's going to stop killing. No the majority of killings with weapons are with handguns Not with AR's and not with AKs. They're handguns. So this is a knee-jerk reaction and They're forgetting something and I'm gonna get you mad some of you here you go ready. I Have weapons. I have weapons at my home. I have a Smith and Wesson 40. I have an AK. I have an AR. I've got a shotgun that'll kill an elephant But I haven't killed any lately They're not in my neighborhood anymore They have never come off the shelf and shot anybody They never have they just sit there. Why because they don't have a will of their own In order for them to be used in that way. Someone's got to pick it up and use it. So when So when you're telling me That I don't have the right now my god at this people forget. I know someone's gonna get mad at me right to Right to David Bustamante at Calvary dot org Let him know he'll tell me on Tuesday. I believe The change is not through a law The change comes through love and the change comes when the church Awakens to preaching the gospel that transforms evil hearts and what God has called us to do is preach the gospel and that's what we do that's what we do and My as well. I dug the hole here. We go one more and This is just a fact. This is a fact. I pray to God this never ever happens. I pray to God This never ever happens But if somebody broke into my home to hurt my wife, I Will protect my wife to my death And I will that's what men do That's what men do. We take care of our families. That's what men do That's what God created us to do and I will do it. I will do it not because I want to I Will do it because I have to I have to take care of her Great a love has no man than this to lay down his life for his friend And I will lay my life down for my wife and if someone broke in my house I do a good funerals because I'll give him I'll give him I'm just telling you. I'm just telling you Hate me. I know there's at least one hater in here. There's got to be So what do we do? So what do we do the laws that people are championing right now are Only to try and I'm just being real forgive me if you think preachers shouldn't say this but I I think it's true I'm gonna tell you what I believe is true. Forgive me but It's championing a cause But the bottom line is We Christians are supposed to be out there as salt and light No, I'm not saying right around and and get ready. No, I'm not saying we should be militant and use guns No, I'm not saying that I'm saying that when you tell me that your law is gonna change human behavior as a Christian I have to differ with you. I have to disagree with you because the law only restricts It does not transform the law does that make me love you Now the Bible tells me to love people and I believe in Christ I believe in Jesus in in the Lord that I do That it doesn't matter to me if you want to call yourself by whatever whatever hyphenated name you want to use today Whether it be Mexican American African American Asian American native American doesn't matter to me You're a human being and as a human being I love you not because you're black or yellow or brown or Red or white it doesn't matter to me I love you because Christ loved me and he taught me to love you and because I love you. I'm not gonna kill you I'm not gonna kill you. I'm not gonna kill you. Don't try and hurt my wife is at that point My two friends Smith and Weston will want to talk to you and they talk loudly So I'm using a little humor, but trying to make a point The evil more evil the society the more the laws That's how it works. So when God works in us God says love one another and Love does no harm to a neighbor Because love is the fulfillment of the law Romans 1310 and so what changes society is not laws laws laws It's God's love love love and that's why I as a pastor feel very strong About continuing to preach the transformation of human life through the faith of Christ in the gospel of Jesus Christ That's why I do what I do Because I can tell you don't do this and do that, but I can also say guess what God loves you God forgives you God changes lives God can change yours God gives you power in the Holy Spirit He gives you direction through his word. He can take you you were a drunk he can change you You weren't you were a drug addict. He can change you you were a fornicator. You're an adulterer You were a liar a thief you were a killer God can forgive you. That's what the gospel does and that's how it works And that's why we do what we do. So society is evil. Yes, it is but more laws will not change human hearts Love is to govern the way we speak to and speak about one another So pure and undefiled religion before God is love and purity First is to visit the word visit speaks of caring for or looking after to visit orphans and widows in their trouble So that speaks of our duty towards others widows and orphans are considered amongst the most vulnerable in society They had no husband. They had no father to provide to protect to care for them And so in the early church widows who were in good standing were well cared for And that was what the church was to do We also care for the orphans and we do what we can as a church. We've always done that And and I should say this very quickly That caring for the widows our fellowship has done many for many years And and we want to care for the the fatherless children and so our men's ministry is preparing a ministry right now called stepping up And it's a ministry that will disciple and mentor young men or young boys Who come from families where the father is not present or the father has passed away And this ministry is designed to instruct the things of the Lord to these boys these young men To help them to become godly men and to be leaders in the church. We want to do it It's kind of like a big brother's thing where some of the men godly men who've been vetted will help and care for some of the kids Who would like to have a guy to go fishing with there to spend some time with and I believe we should do that I believe we should help and that's what we want to do. What is pure and undefiled religion But to care for the widows care for the orphans and he says and to keep oneself and spotted from the world Where to be found spotless and blameless and at peace with Jesus Christ according to 2nd Peter 3 14 So his point is simple Loving holy lives demonstrates that you truly know the Lord Loving the Lord is going to produce a holiness in your life and a care for other people It's going to be demonstrated by your love for the Lord Even though you're going through a trial It's going to be demonstrated that you you don't blame God for the thing is that sometimes you brought on yourself It simply means that we know who he is and We ask God to work within us as we determine to follow him that our lives would be changed That we could bring glory to him It's called Christianity It's called loving Jesus with everything and that's what James is telling us to do He's saying be a doer of the word Not just a hearer. Don't deceive yourself Don't deceive yourself Do what he says and watch what God does in your life I've been attempting to do that now for a long time And my life has been transformed because his word in his spirit makes you brand new Makes you brand new